This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable.

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.

Since the Holocaust, a growing consensus of biblical scholars have come to recognize the unfair and misleading anti-Semitic rhetoric in the New Testament—language that has arguably contributed to centuries of violence and persecution against the Jewish people. In Gathered in One, Bradley J. Kramer shows how the Book of Mormon counters anti-Semitism in the New Testament by approaching this most Christian of books on its own turf and on its own terms: literarily, by providing numerous pro-Jewish statements, portrayals, settings, and structuring devices in opposition to similar anti-Semitic elements in the New Testament; and scripturally, by connecting with it as a peer, as a divine document of equal value and authority, which can add these elements to the Christian canon (as the Gospel of John can add elements to the Gospel of Matthew) without undermining its authority or dependability. In this way, the Book of Mormon effectively “detoxifies” the New Testament of its anti-Semitic poison without weakening its status as scripture and goes far in encouraging Christians to relate to Jews respectfully, not as enemies or opponents, but as allies, people of equal worth, importance, and value before God.

Here in One Convenient Volume are Two Works by Joseph A. Fitzmyer that have been influential in shaping the study of the New Testament during the past two decades -- Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament and A Wandering Aramean: Collected Aramaic Essays.

Part of the Studies in Antiquity series, these 21 essays feature interpretations of the Hebrew Bible using the comprehensive, interpretive methodology developed by Rolf P. Knierim.

Volume 3 covers the effects of the Bible on the history of the West between the Reformation and the publication of the New English Bible.

The Thanksgiving Hymns have been labeled the mystical gems among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some of them may have been composed by the genius who is known as “the Righteous Teacher” in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Other psalms, hymns, or odes were composed by members of the Qumran Community. This volume includes all fragments and all portions of the manuscripts of this superb witness to the height of Jewish poetry and thought before 70 CE and the end of early Judaism. Preliminary work on the major manuscript was conducted by Professor Doron Mendels of Israel and Professor Hermann Lichtenberger of Germany. Professor Charlesworth of Princeton spent over fifty years studying the witnesses to The Thanksgiving Hymns and completed the work. The central focus of The Thanksgiving Hymns is thanksgiving and praise based on a living covenantal relationship with a Creator within a dualistic and apocalyptic worldview. This is an important reference book for specialists in biblical studies.