A History Of The Bible As Literature

Author : John Barton
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143111205
Total Pages : 642 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A History of the Bible written by John Barton and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : David Norton
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521778077
Total Pages : 526 pages
Book Rating : 4.77/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A History of the English Bible as Literature written by David Norton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-05-29 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised and condensed from David Norton's acclaimed A History of the Bible as Literature, this book, first published in 2000, tells the story of English literary attitudes to the Bible. At first jeered at and mocked as English writing, then denigrated as having 'all the disadvantages of an old prose translation', the King James Bible somehow became 'unsurpassed in the entire range of literature'. How so startling a change happened and how it affected the making of modern translations such as the Revised Version and the New English Bible is at the heart of this exploration of a vast range of religious, literary and cultural ideas. Translators, writers such as Donne, Milton, Bunyan and the Romantics, reactionary Bishops and radical students all help to show the changes in religious ideas and in standards of language and literature that created our sense of the most important book in English.

Author : David Norton
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521333993
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.97/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A History of the Bible as Literature written by David Norton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : David Norton
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521333993
Total Pages : 506 pages
Book Rating : 4.97/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A History of the Bible as Literature: Volume 2, From 1700 to the Present Day written by David Norton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1993-09-24 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early eighteenth century literary critics thought the King James Bible had "all the disadvantages of an old prose translation." But from the 1760s on criticism became increasingly favorable. In the nineteenth century it swelled into a chorus of praise for "the noblest monument of English prose." This volume traces how that reversal of opinion came about. The story of the development of modern literary discussion of the Bible in general is told also, showing not only how criticism has shaped understanding of the Bible but how the Bible has shaped literary criticism.

Author : Paul C. Gutjahr
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780804743396
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An American Bible written by Paul C. Gutjahr and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An American Bible is an extremely compelling piece of cultural history that succeeds in making rich rather than schematic sense of the major dramas that lay behind the production of over 1,700 different American editions of the Bible in the century after the American Revolution. Gutjahr's book is especially powerful in demonstrating how nineteenth-century efforts to purge the Bible of textual and translational impurities in search of an 'authentic' text led ironically to the emergence of entirely new gospels like the Book of Mormon and the massive fictionalized literature dealing with the life of Christ." --Jay Fliegelman, Stanford University During the first three-quarters of the nineteenth century, American publishing experienced unprecedented, exponential growth. An emerging market economy, widespread religious revival, educational reforms, and innovations in print technology worked together to create a culture increasingly formed and framed by the power of print. At the center of this new culture was the Bible, the book that has been called "the best seller" in American publishing history. Yet it is important to realize that the Bible in America was not a simple, uniform entity. First printed in the United States during the American Revolution, the Bible underwent many revisions, translations, and changes in format as different editors and publishers appropriated it to meet a wide range of changing ideological and economic demands. This book examines how many different constituencies (both secular and religious) fought to keep the Bible the preeminent text in the United States as the country's print marketplace experienced explosive growth. The author shows how these heated battles had profound consequences for many American cultural practices and forms of printed material. By exploring how publishers, clergymen, politicians, educators, and lay persons met the threat that new printed material posed to the dominance of the Bible by changing both its form and its contents, the author reveals the causes and consequences of mutating God's supposedly immutable Word.

Author : Werner Keller
Publisher : Barnes & Noble Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781566198011
Total Pages : 412 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Bible as History written by Werner Keller and published by Barnes & Noble Publishing. This book was released on 1995 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible As History by Werner Keller, will take you on a breathtaking journey to the heart of Holy Scripture as it pieces together one of the most stunning spiritual puzzles in the history of mankind.

Author : Leland Ryken
Publisher : Zondervan Academic
ISBN 13 : 0310536332
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Read the Bible as Literature written by Leland Ryken and published by Zondervan Academic. This book was released on 2016-11-22 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why the Good Book Is a Great Read If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible’s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage. How to Read the Bible as Literature takes you through the various literary forms used by the biblical authors. This book will help you read the Bible with renewed appreciation and excitement and gain a more profound grasp of its truths. Designed for maximum clarity and usefulness, How to Read the Bible as Literature includes * sidebar captions to enhance organization * wide margins ideal for note taking * suggestions for further reading * appendix: "The Allegorical Nature of the Parables" * indexes of persons and subjects

Author : Robert Alter
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674875319
Total Pages : 700 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Literary Guide to the Bible written by Robert Alter and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1990-09 with total page 700 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rediscover the incomparable literary richness and strength of a book that all of us live with an many of us live by. An international team of renowned scholars, assembled by two leading literary critics, offers a book-by-book guide through the Old and New Testaments as well as general essays on the Bible as a whole, providing an enticing reintroduction to a work that has shaped our language and thought for thousands of years.

Author : Christopher Hodgkins
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1444334956
Total Pages : 501 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Literary Study of the Bible written by Christopher Hodgkins and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-04-29 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive and accessible introduction to scriptural art yet written Literary Study of the Bible: An Introduction approaches each book of the Bible (including several of the apocrypha) with non-sectarian literary questions, exploring the meanings that the Bible reveals when we read it like a poem, narrative, or play. As a unique hybrid of introductory guide, essential handbook, historical survey, and absorbing commentary, this book fills a gap in literary Bible study with its fresh perspectives on the biblical writers’ many arts. Readers will engage in wide range of textual approaches and interpretive traditions through this broadly informed, accessibly written text. Dr. Christopher Hodgkins has taught Literary Study of the Bible for 25 years, over which time he has field-tested the many lenses—of genre, image, language, characterization, plot, and craft—used throughout this book. Tracing the sources, composition, and influences of the Biblical text, this book places the Bible in a tradition of ancient near eastern, Hebrew, and Hellenistic literary art, giving new depth to the way we understand the familiar stories of scripture. Unlike other literary introductions to the Bible, this book uniquely combines these elements: Approaches the Bible as a richly collaborative and coherent work of literary art, exploring how earlier books influence the creation and interpretation of later ones Provides illuminating commentary supplemented by explanatory textboxes, maps, illustrations, and study questions to enhance interest and expand learning Introduces poetic and narrative devices like doubling, juxtaposition, and irony within the context of scriptural art and editorial design Gives extensive attention to each biblical book, resulting in the most comprehensive introduction to literary Bible study to date Presents these materials through an accessible and lively text permeated with references to both high and popular culture Literary Study of the Bible will be a welcome addition to personal, school, college, and congregational libraries, as well as an excellent text for students of the Bible in both secular and faith-based settings.

Author : William M. Schniedewind
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521536226
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.27/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How the Bible Became a Book written by William M. Schniedewind and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-08-22 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the Bible Became a Book combines recent archaeological discoveries in the Middle East with insights culled from the history of writing to address how the Bible was written and evolved into sacred Scripture. Written for general readers as well as scholars, the book provides rich insight into how these texts came to possess the authority of Scripture and explores why Ancient Israel, an oral culture, began to write literature. It describes an emerging literate society in ancient Israel that challenges the assertion that literacy first arose in Greece during the fifth century BCE. Hb ISBN (2004) 0-521-82946-1