A History of the Bible, written by John Barton, is a very well researched history of Bible interpretation. When I opted to read this book, I guess I had a different idea of what the content would be. I thought the book would be centered more around the authors of the different books and lives of the disciples who dedicated a great deal of their lives recording God and Jesus’ word. I wanted to learn more about the connections between history and Biblical history, not necessarily that parts were written in one form of Hebrew followed by another type of prose. Etymological history is important; however, that was not a topic that could sustain and entertain me for hours on end.
Another contention of disappointment was that it appeared to me the author was writing this more as a debunking rather than a clear and concise fact book about the Bible and its history. I would have rather learned more about the proven history rather than the pieces that appear to be mythological in nature or down-right false and slanted of opinion,

IF you are looking for a very scholarly, in depth look at how the Bible was written, this book could very well be your cup of tea. However, I was not ready to be engaged with this book for the estimated 18 hours Amazon approximated for me to read from cover to cover. It was intensive in that aspect and tedious.

Barton’s admirable history examines how a collection of ancient texts representing a diverse set of eras, genres, authors, methods of composition, intentions, and theological viewpoints became authoritative scripture for both Jews and Christians. Uncertainty is a recurring theme in Barton’s discussion. The origins of most of those texts are far from clear, and the texts themselves survive, in whole or in part, in manuscripts that may vary substantially from one another in regard to wording, length, and contents. Although both Jews and Christians look to their Scriptures as the basis of their faith, there is no direct connection between what is found in the texts of the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament and beliefs and practices of the various forms of Judaism or Christianity, despite their protests to the contrary. This disparity has led to a variety of interpretive approaches to the Bible undertaken by Jewish and Christian scholars throughout history to bolster what the adherents of their faiths have “always” believed and done. At the same time, these interpreters have almost without exception sought to demonstrate that what the books of the Bible have to say is “true,” however much the meaning of “true” has varied over the centuries. As Barton demonstrates, such ideas as a “literal” meaning or the “inerrancy” or “inspiration” of the biblical texts have been understood very differently by influential scholars among both Jews and Christians over time, and modern ways of approaching and understanding the Bible are sometimes distorted echoes of the practices of earlier eras. Barton is concerned, through his historical examination, to develop an intellectually defensible approach to the texts of the Bible as documents that reflect diverse expressions of the faith of ancient Israel or the early Jesus communities and yet may legitimately continue to inspire and define the beliefs and practices of their spiritual descendants in the twenty-first century.

I enjoyed this book. It's well written and well researched. Anyone interested in learning about the origins of the Bible and their religion will enjoy this fascinating book. I'm not a Christian, but have always enjoyed reading of the origins and development of religions.

This is an absolutely fascinating book for anyone who has an interest in the Bible, regardless of whether you are specifically religious or not. This is a longer book with a lot of information in it, so I suggest reading it in smaller chunks, so you can truly appreciate all of the nuances.

The Bible, as most people are no doubt already aware, has been through many changes over the years, being adapted and translated for different languages and cultures and updated by various scribes either accidentally or with a specific theological angle in mind. This book really captures that and explains how and why these changes occurred. One of the things I found striking about this book is, how it shows the many transformations the New Testament has been through before and after the Reformation, but how little the Torah has actually changed through the centuries. The author also points out that we do not possess a text of the New Testament as it was in the days of Paul, Luke or John, because only variants are extant.

This was an intriguing and helpful book for me since I am currently learning to be a textual analyst with a focus on scripture. Even if you are not currently pursuing a scholastic endeavour though, this book is still one that you don't want to miss.

I was thoroughly impressed with the depth of the author's knowledge and his presentation of the facts. He did not come across as overly biased or in favour of one theological idea over another. He based his research on historical fact and spectator evidence, as all good non-fiction authors should make a habit of doing.

Overall, this was one of the best books I have read in the last few years and I can't recommend it enough.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.