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Title

The Bible: A History

Stephen M. Miller

Review

The Bible: a History provides an interesting and objective (more or less) view of how the Bible came into its current form(s). The text includes a good dose of historical context and contemporary religious views that helped shape it. At the same time, it assumes an academic view and a casual reading style that makes this good reading for everyone. For example, even though I have read the book of Genesis many times, I never noticed there are two very different versions of the story of Creation. The same is true of the story of Noah and the Ark. I now know why the official Bible of the Catholic church is different from the Bible used by Protestant churches (but no spoilers here). I discovered why the Bible was translated into Latin and why it wasn’t translated again and again as languages evolved. I learned about the Dead Sea Scrolls and why they are so important. This book made me think about how much time passed between the events in the Bible and when they were finally committed to written form and what that means.

This book gives a short dose on a topic – usually just two pages, sometimes four – with plenty of accompanying graphics to break up the page and keep you interested. With photos of historical artifacts and scans of illuminations, it’s as much fun to look at as it is to read. Not sure what an “illumination” is? This book explains it!

This is not a book about faith, it’s a history book. But whatever your beliefs, having a strong academic foundation is the key to convincing others. And the historical facts make great dinner conversation among the like-minded. ~ Jana Atkins

Review Date

Reviewed November 2013