History of the Bible

A uniquely ambitious study of the Bible's creation: how it came to be written, how its contents were selected - and how it really relates to the religions that endorse it

The Bible is the central book in Western culture, yet extraordinarily there is no proper history of it. This exceptional work, by one of the world's leading Biblical scholars, provides a full account of how the different parts of the Bible came to be
written; how some writings which were regarded as holy became canonical and were included in the Bible, and others were not; what the relationship is of the different parts of the Bible to each other; and how, once it became a stable text, the Bible has been disseminated and interpreted around the world. It gives full weight to discussion of the importance of the Tanakh (Old Testament) in Judaism as in Christianity. It also demonstrates the degree to which, contrary to widespread belief, both Judaism and Christianity are not faiths drawn from the Bible texts but from other sources and traditions. It shows that if we are to regard the Bible as 'authoritative' it cannot be as believers have so often done in the past.

Un studiu unic ambitios al creatiei Bibliei: cum a ajuns sa fie scrisa, cum a fost selectat continutul ei - si cum se leaga cu adevarat de religiile care o sustin Biblia este cartea centrala a culturii occidentale, dar extraordinar nu exista o istorie adecvata aceasta. Aceasta lucrare exceptionala, realizata de unul dintre cei mai buni cercetatori biblici din lume, ofera o relatare completa a modului in care au fost scrise diferitele parti ale Bibliei; cum unele scrieri considerate sfinte au devenit canonice si au fost incluse in Biblie, iar altele nu; care este relatia dintre diferitele parti ale Bibliei intre ele; si cum, odata ce a devenit un text stabil, Biblia a fost diseminata si interpretata in intreaga lume.