Synopses & Reviews
No book has been more pored over, has been the subject of more commentary and controversy, or had more influence not only on our religious beliefs but also on our culture and language than the Bible. And certainly no book has been as widely read. But how did the Bible become the book we know it to be?
In this superbly written history, Jaroslav Pelikan takes the reader through the good book's evolution from its earliest incarnation as oral tales to its modern existence in various interations, translations and languages. From the earliest Hebrew texts and the Bible's appearance in Greek, then Latin, Pelikan explores the canonization of different Bibles and why certain books were adopted by certain religions and sects, as well as the development of the printing press, the translation into modern languages and varying schools of critical scholarship.
Both an enduring work of scholarship and fascinating read, Whose Bible Is it? will be eagerly welcomed by the many fans of Elaine Pagels's books and Adam Nicolson's God's Secretaries.
Review
"An accessible history of the Bible, enlivened by a commitment to open Jewish-Christian relations....Engaging and informative for both Jews and Christians, as well as armchair scholars." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A]n excellent overview, one that will introduce readers to everything that happened to the Bible since it was written." New York Times
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"[A] history of the bumpy careers of these three 'Bibles' that manages to be both erudite and charming." Boston Globe
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"Beginning with an illuminating look at the original Hebrew Bible, Pelikan takes us down through the centuries, offering a crisp, remarkably succinct history of the Bible as preserved, interpreted, translated and canonized by the various faiths that believed in it." Los Angeles Times
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"[E]ngaging, concise, and highly readable." Christian Science Monitor
Synopsis
Jaroslav Pelikan, widely regarded as one of the most distinguished historians of our day, now provides a clear and engaging account of the Bible’s journey from oral narrative to Hebrew and Greek text to today’s countless editions. Pelikan explores the evolution of the Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic versions and the development of the printing press and its effect on the Reformation, the translation into modern languages, and varying schools of critical scholarship. Whose Bible Is It? is a triumph of scholarship that is also a pleasure to read.
About the Author
Jaroslav Pelikan is Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University and past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His many books include the five-volume The Christian Tradition, Jesus Through the Centuries, and Mary Through the Centuries. He has received the Thomas Jefferson Medal of the National Endowment for the Humanities and an honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America as well as forty-one other honorary degrees.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The Bible, the While Bible, and Nothing but the Bible?
One: The God Who Speaks
Two: The Truth in Hebrew
Three: Moses Speaking Greek
Four: Beyond Written Torah: Talmud and Continuing Revelation
Five: The LAw and the Prophets Fulfilled
Six: Formation of a Second Testament
Seven: The Peoples of the Book
Eight: Back to the Sources
Nine: The Bible Only
Ten: The Canon and the Critics
Eleven: A Message for the While Human Race
Twelve: The Strange Ne World Within the Bible
Afterword
Appendix I: Alternative Canons of the Tanakh/Old Testament
Appendix II: New Testament
Notes and Further Reading