Download or read book A History of the Bible written by John Barton and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A literary history of our most influential book of all time, by an Oxford scholar and Anglican priest In our culture, the Bible is monolithic: It is a collection of books that has been unchanged and unchallenged since the earliest days of the Christian church. The idea of the Bible as "Holy Scripture," a non-negotiable authority straight from God, has prevailed in Western society for some time. And while it provides a firm foundation for centuries of Christian teaching, it denies the depth, variety, and richness of this fascinating text. In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be read in its historical context--from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries. It is a book full of narratives, laws, proverbs, prophecies, poems, and letters, each with their own character and origin stories. Barton explains how and by whom these disparate pieces were written, how they were canonized (and which ones weren't), and how they were assembled, disseminated, and interpreted around the world--and, importantly, to what effect. Ultimately, A History of the Bible argues that a thorough understanding of the history and context of its writing encourages religious communities to move away from the Bible's literal wording--which is impossible to determine--and focus instead on the broader meanings of scripture.
Download or read book The Jefferson Bible written by Peter Manseau and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The life and times of a uniquely American testament In his retirement, Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament with a penknife and glue, removing all mention of miracles and other supernatural events. Inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, Jefferson hoped to reconcile Christian tradition with reason by presenting Jesus of Nazareth as a great moral teacher—not a divine one. Peter Manseau tells the story of the Jefferson Bible, exploring how each new generation has reimagined the book in its own image as readers grapple with both the legacy of the man who made it and the place of religion in American life. Completed in 1820 and rediscovered by chance in the late nineteenth century after being lost for decades, Jefferson's cut-and-paste scripture has meant different things to different people. Some have held it up as evidence that America is a Christian nation founded on the lessons of the Gospels. Others see it as proof of the Founders' intent to root out the stubborn influence of faith. Manseau explains Jefferson's personal religion and philosophy, shedding light on the influences and ideas that inspired him to radically revise the Gospels. He situates the creation of the Jefferson Bible within the broader search for the historical Jesus, and examines the book's role in American religious disputes over the interpretation of scripture. Manseau describes the intrigue surrounding the loss and rediscovery of the Jefferson Bible, and traces its remarkable reception history from its first planned printing in 1904 for members of Congress to its persistent power to provoke and enlighten us today.
Download or read book The Bible written by and published by . This book was released on 1607 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Making of the Bible written by Konrad Schmid and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2021-10-29 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authoritative new account of the BibleÕs origins, illuminating the 1,600-year tradition that shaped the Christian and Jewish holy books as millions know them today. The Bible as we know it today is best understood as a process, one that begins in the tenth century BCE. In this revelatory account, a world-renowned scholar of Hebrew scripture joins a foremost authority on the New Testament to write a new biography of the Book of Books, reconstructing Jewish and Christian scriptural histories, as well as the underappreciated contest between them, from which the Bible arose. Recent scholarship has overturned popular assumptions about IsraelÕs past, suggesting, for instance, that the five books of the Torah were written not by Moses but during the reign of Josiah centuries later. The sources of the Gospels are also under scrutiny. Konrad Schmid and Jens Schrter reveal the long, transformative journeys of these and other texts en route to inclusion in the holy books. The New Testament, the authors show, did not develop in the wake of an Old Testament set in stone. Rather the two evolved in parallel, in conversation with each other, ensuring a continuing mutual influence of Jewish and Christian traditions. Indeed, Schmid and Schrter argue that Judaism may not have survived had it not been reshaped in competition with early Christianity. A remarkable synthesis of the latest Old and New Testament scholarship, The Making of the Bible is the most comprehensive history yet told of the worldÕs best-known literature, revealing its buried lessons and secrets.
Download or read book The Biographical Bible written by Ruth A. Tucker and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2013-11-19 with total page 854 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Biographical Bible offers an engaging overview of Scripture through the lens of the fascinating figures who populate its pages. Through insightful reflections on the lives of over eighty individuals, this unique book captures the essence of these colorful characters, warts and all. They are people who have much in common with twenty-first century people of faith. Here the reader will find a lively and insightful narrative that brings the Bible to life as no other book does.
Download or read book In the Beginning written by Karen Armstrong and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2011-08-10 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Karen Armstrong is a genius.”—A. N. Wilson As the foundation stone of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, The Book of Genesis unfolds some of the most arresting stories of world literature—the Creation; Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; the sacrifice of Isaac. Yet the meaning of Genesis remains enigmatic. In this fascinating volume, Karen Armstrong, author of the highly acclaimed bestseller A History of God, brilliantly illuminates the mysteries and profundities of this mystifying work. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Karen Armstrong's Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. “A lyrical chronicle of one woman's wrestling with Genesis that can serve as a guide to others . . . As notable for its scholarship as it is for its honesty and vulnerability.”—Publishers Weekly “Armstrong can simplify complex ideas, but she is never simplistic.”—The New York Times Book Review
Download or read book The Reforming Power of the Scriptures written by Mary Metzner Trammell and published by Writings of Mary Baker Eddy. This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Bible Cause written by John Fea and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-03-03 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Endorsed in its time by Francis Scott Key, John Jay, and Theodore Roosevelt, the American Bible Society (ABS) is a seminal institution for American Protestants. The group was founded in 1816 with the goal of distributing free copies of the Bible in local languages throughout the world. Today, the ABS is a Christian ministry based in Philadelphia with a $300 million endowment and a mission to engage 100 million Americans with the Bible by 2025. In The Bible Cause, noted historian of American religion John Fea demonstrates how the ABS's primary mission - to place the Bible in the hands of as many people as possible - has caused the history of the organization to intersect at nearly every point with the history of the United States. For the last two hundred years, the ABS has steadily increased its influence both at home and abroad, working with all Christian denominations in the US and internationally, aligning itself whenever possible with the gatekeepers of American religious culture. Over the years ABS Bibles could be found in hotel rooms, bookstores, and airports; on steam boats, college and university campuses; the Internet; and even behind the Iron Curtain. Its agents, Bibles in hand, could be found on the front lines of every American military conflict from the Mexican-American War to the Iraq War. However and wherever the United States developed, the ABS was there. Throughout the last two centuries ABS has never wavered in its mission, and its commitment to be the guardian of a Christian civilization has been proven many times over.
Download or read book The Jefferson Bible written by Thomas Jefferson and published by Wyatt North Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2014-01-05 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Jefferson Bible, or The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth as it is formally titled, was a book constructed by Thomas Jefferson in the latter years of his life by cutting and pasting numerous sections from various Bibles as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's composition excluded sections of the New Testament containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added by the Four Evangelists. In 1895, the Smithsonian Institution under the leadership of librarian Cyrus Adler purchased the original Jefferson Bible from Jefferson's great-granddaughter Carolina Randolph for $400. A conservation effort commencing in 2009, in partnership with the museum's Political History department, allowed for a public unveiling in an exhibit open from November 11, 2011, through May 28, 2012, at the National Museum of American History.
Download or read book The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia written by James Orr and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 760 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Bible written by Karen Armstrong and published by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. This book was released on 2008-11-18 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The renowned religious historian “preaches the gospel truth . . . explaining how the spiritual guide . . . came into being and evolved over the centuries” (Vanity Fair). As the single work at the heart of Christianity, the world’s largest organized religion, the Bible is the spiritual guide for one out of every three people in the world. It is also the world’s most widely distributed book and its bestselling, with an estimated six billion copies sold in the last two hundred years. But the Bible is a complex work with a complicated and obscure history. Its contents have changed over the centuries, it has been transformed by translation, and, through interpretation, has developed manifold meanings to various religions, denominations, and sects. In this seminal account, acclaimed historian Karen Armstrong discusses the conception, gestation, life, and afterlife of history’s most powerful book. Armstrong analyzes the social and political situation in which oral history turned into written scripture, how this all-pervasive scripture was collected into one work, how it became accepted as Christianity’s sacred text, and how its interpretation changed over time. Armstrong’s history of the Bible is a brilliant, captivating book, crucial in an age of declining faith and rising fundamentalism. “Vintage Armstrong: sweeping, bold, incisive, and insightful. In eight chapters it covers the history of the writing, canonizing, and reading of the Bible . . . Her choice of topics is impeccable . . . and her brief, 23-page discussion on the rise of the Talmud is masterful.” —Choice “An excellent précis of the writing and compiling of the Bible and the ensuing centuries of biblical interpretation . . . one terrific little book.” —Booklist
Download or read book Biography of the Bible written by Ernest Sutherland Bates and published by The Floating Press. This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Due to its singular importance as a sacred text to millions of believers, the Christian Bible is often regarded as an entity unto itself that came into being in one fell swoop. However, as author Ernest Sutherland Bates reminds us, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible was a work in progress for thousands of years, and the versions that most Christians read today have gone through dozens of translations and renderings. Biography of the Bible presents the remarkable story of how this book came to be.
Download or read book How the Bible Became a Book written by William M. Schniedewind and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-05-10 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the past two hundred years biblical scholars have increasingly assumed that the Hebrew Bible was largely written and edited in the Persian and Hellenistic periods. As a result, the written Bible has dwelled in an historical vacuum. Recent archaeological evidence and insights from linguistic anthropology, however, point to the earlier era of the late-Iron Age as the formative period for the writing of biblical literature. How the Bible Became a Book combines these recent archaeological discoveries in the Middle East with insights culled from the history of writing to address how the Bible first came to be written down and then became sacred Scripture. This book provides rich insight into why these texts came to have authority as Scripture and explores why Ancient Israel, an oral culture, began to write literature, challenging the assertion that widespread literacy first arose in Greece during the fifth century BCE.
Download or read book Biography of the Biblical God written by E. Asamoah-Yaw and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2011-12-16 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Biography of the Biblical God is an insightful and thought-provoking analysis of religion and faith. In this compelling and stimulating read, one will discover a myriad of well-supported facts and references which question the validity of Biblical claims and explanations. Written by E. Asamoah-Yaw, the provocative pages of this book reveal the Bibles lack of verisimilitude with scientific, as well as the common laws of nature. A groundbreaking expose on the humanity of Jesus Christ, his intimate marital and sexual relations with Mary Magdalene, historical inconsistencies of the Catholic Church, the inaccuracies of the Book of Genesis explaining the beginning of creation, the holes in the four Gospels of the New Testament and many more are all discussed in this analytical book. This creative and compelling page-turner will no doubt strike intellectuals and insinuate a sense of curiosity within an individual. A book that will surely appeal to those who possess an independent mind and a logical sense of reasoning, A Biography of the Biblical God will stimulate a wide avenue for discussion, serving as a catalyst for ones personal reflection on the things previously assumed and accepted to be true. Furthermore, this read sends an eye-opening message to its readers. Mr. Asamoah-Yaw explains that faith in anything outside the self is demonstrably not dependable, not predictable and in fact very counter-productive. Religious faith may temporally increase peoples comfort levels, but it freezes the knowledge of the self and therefore prevents humans to face head-on challenges of the practical world. For the author, faith outside the self encourages total self-submission and hinders one from discovering ones innate powers.
Download or read book Illustrated Bible Biography written by and published by . This book was released on 1880 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The First Book of Moses Called Genesis written by and published by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. This book was released on 1999 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hailed as "the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg", these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible.
Download or read book The Biography of the Bible written by Ernest Sutherland Bates and published by Jazzybee Verlag. This book was released on 2012 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the extended and annotated edition including * an extensive annotation of more than 5.000 words about the history and evolution of the book we call 'The Bible' * an interactive table-of-contents * perfect formatting for electronic reading devices (e.g. no more annoying page numbers in the text) A great book is a living organism. Months, years, or centuries may go into its gestation. When finally composed and written down, it can be said to be born, but only born. It then grows and develops through the interpretations of generation after generation of readers, critics, editors, and translators, each adding something, great or little, to its expanding magnitude. The life of the Bible, above all other books, is a life made up of countless lives, embodying their joys and agonies, their visions, their defeats and aspirations. Four thousand years cling about it. A full millennium of myths and legends passed into it; another millennium was consumed in the writing; bitter battles over canon and creed occupied a third; a fourth has seen the ever-continuing translations into modern tongues. Contents: ONE - General Character TWO - The Authors THREE - The Conflict over Creed and Canon FOUR - The Bible under Medievalism FIVE - The Great Translations SIX - The Higher Criticism SEVEN - The Bible and the Stream of Life
