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.

A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths

Literature & Fiction

BARTON, JOHN

History & Criticism

Penguin??Books

This book defines interpretation and examines the special issues that surround biblical interpretation. The authors analyze the development of traditional literary and historical criticism and more recent social, scientific, and literary approaches, focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposing the underlying theological issues. They reveal a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in the texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. The book includes an annotated index with detailed information on over two hundred fifty biblical scholars and other interpreters.

Biblical Interpretation (Oxford Bible Series)

History

Morgan, Robert

Europe

Oxford University Press

This book defines interpretation and examines the special issues that surround biblical interpretation. The authors analyze the development of traditional literary and historical criticism and more recent social, scientific, and literary approaches, focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposing the underlying theological issues. They reveal a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in the texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. The book includes an annotated index with detailed information on over two hundred fifty biblical scholars and other interpreters.

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

This is the latest in a series of volumes, published about every twenty-five years since 1924, surveying the current state of the academic study of the Old Testament--more often called the Hebrew Bible in scholarly contexts. It is written by leading members of the Society for Old Testament Study, the professional organization for scholars in that field in the UK and Ireland, but with international members too, some of whom have contributed to the volume. It provides academics, students of the Bible, clergy and rabbis, and intelligent general readers, with a snapshot of the main approaches and issues in the study of the Hebrew Bible since (approximately) the year 2000. There are chapters on specific biblical books in their ancient context, grouped mainly by genre, but also on methodological aspects of biblical studies today, including interdisciplinary perspectives and contemporary questions, such as the Bible in sociological, theological, historical, archaeological, literary, and linguistic perspectives, and the influence of concerns about gender, race, visual culture, and psychology. A particular recent interest is represented by a chapter on the reception history of the Hebrew Bible in the visual arts, music, and literature (including drama and film). The concern throughout, is to encapsulate contemporary currents in interpretation, rather than to put forward the contributors' personal views, but also to suggest how biblical study may or should develop next in these areas. As with previous volumes, what is provided is a view of global scholarship as seen from these islands that will be useful to serious students of the Hebrew Bible throughout the world. As well as describing their field, the contributors also provide substantial bibliographies pointing readers to other modern discussions.

Understanding the Hebrew Bible: Essays by Members of the Society for Old Testament Study

Examining perceptions of ancient Hebrew prophecy current in Judaism and Christianity from the time of the Exile to the end of the New Testament period, this book throws fresh light on the development of the Prophetic section of the Old Testament canon in both the Hebrew and Greek traditions. Drawing on documents including the Old Testament itself, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, the New Testament, the writings of Philo and Josephus, and the works of the early Church Fathers, Barton arrives at a series of controversial conclusions about the composition of the canon in the post-exilic period, the relation of "apocalyptic" to prophecy, and even the applicability of the term "prophet" to the classical prophets themselves.

Oracles of God: Perceptions of Ancient Prophecy in Israel after the Exile

Oracles of God is a study of ideas about ancient prophecy current in Judaism and Christianity from the Exile to the end of the New Testament period. It examines the prophetic section of the Old Testament canon in both Hebrew and Greek traditions, the various pictures of prophets, their role and message, and looks at the various ways in which prophetic scripture were read in the period.Source material discussed includes much apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writing, documents from Qumran, the works of Philo and Josephus, the New Testament and some rabbinic literature. The book is essential reading for all students of Old and New Testament ideas about prophecy.

Ethics in Ancient Israel is a study of ethical thinking in ancient Israel from around the eighth to the second century BC. The evidence for this consists primarily of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha, but also other ancient Jewish writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and various anonymous and pseudonymous texts from shortly before the New Testament period. Professor John Barton argues that there were several models for thinking about ethics, including a 'divine command' theory, something approximating to natural law, a virtue ethic, and a belief in human custom and convention. Moreover, he examines ideas of reward and punishment, purity and impurity, the status of moral agents and patients, imitation of God, and the image of God in humanity. Barton maintains that ethical thinking can be found not only in laws but also in the wisdom literature, in the Psalms, and in narrative texts. There is much interaction with recent scholarship in both English and German. The book features discussion of comparative material from other ancient Near Eastern cultures and a chapter on short summaries of moral teaching, such as the Ten Commandments. This innovative work should be of interest to those concerned with the interpretation of the Old Testament but also to students of ethics.

Ethics in Ancient Israel

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

In the context of growing concern over climate change and other environmental pressures, Biblical Prophets and Contemporary Environmental Ethics explores what an ecological reading of the biblical text can contribute to contemporary environmental ethics. The Judaeo-Christian tradition has been held partly to blame for a negative attitude to creation - one that has legitimised the exploitative use of the earth's resources. Hilary Marlow explores some of the thinking in the history of the Christian tradition that has contributed to such a perception, before discussing a number of approaches to reading the Old Testament from an ecological perspective. Through a detailed exegetical study of the texts of the biblical prophets Amos, Hosea, and First Isaiah, Marlow examines the portrayal of the relationship between YHWH the God of Israel, humanity and the non-human creation. In the course of this exegesis, searching questions emerge: what are the various understandings of the non-human creation that are present in the text? What assumptions are made about YHWH's relationship to the created world and how he acts within it? And what effect do the actions and choices of human beings have on the created world? Following this close textual study, Marlow examines the problem of deriving ethical norms from the biblical text and discusses some key ethical debates in contemporary environmental theory. The book explores the potential contribution of the biblical exegesis to such debates and concludes by proposing an inter-relational model for reading the Old Testament prophets in the light of contemporary environmental ethics.

Biblical Prophets and Contemporary Environmental Ethics

Marlow, Hilary

The Oxford Bible Commentary is a Bible study and reference work for 21st century students and readers that can be read with any modern translation of the Bible. It offers verse-by-verse explanation of every book of the Bible by the world's leading biblical scholars. From its inception, OBC has been designed as a completely non-denominational commentary, carefully written and edited to provide the best scholarship in a readable style for readers from all different faith backgrounds. It uses the traditional historical-critical method to search for the original meaning of the texts, but also brings in new perspectives and insights - literary, sociological, and cultural - to bring out the expanding meanings of these ancient writings and stimulate new discussion and further enquiry. Newly issued in a series of part volumes, the OBC is now available in an affordable and portable format for the study of specific sections of the Bible. The Pentateuch, or Torah ('the law'), comprises the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis to Deuteronomy. The Commentaries are preceeded by introductions to the Old Testament and to the Pentateuch as a whole.

The Pentateuch (Oxford Bible Commentary)

Muddiman, John

The Oxford Bible Commentary is a Bible study and reference work for 21st century students and readers that can be read with any modern translation of the Bible. It offers verse-by-verse explanation of every book of the Bible by the world's leading biblical scholars. From its inception, OBC has been designed as a completely non-denominational commentary, carefully written and edited to provide the best scholarship in a readable style for readers from all different faith backgrounds. It uses the traditional historical-critical method to search for the original meaning of the texts, but also brings in new perspectives and insights - literary, sociological, and cultural - to bring out the expanding meanings of these ancient writings and stimulate new discussion and further enquiry. Newly issued in a series of part volumes, the OBC is now available in an affordable and portable format for the commentaries to the four canonical Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Includes a general introduction to using the Commentary, in addition to an introduction to study of the New Testament, and a detailed comparison of the four gospels in synopsis.

The Gospels (Oxford Bible Commentary)

World

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BARTON, JOHN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by BARTON, JOHN

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BARTON, JOHN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths

Biblical Interpretation (Oxford Bible Series)

Biblical Interpretation (Oxford Bible Series)

Understanding the Hebrew Bible: Essays by Members of the Society for Old Testament Study

Oracles of God: Perceptions of Ancient Prophecy in Israel after the Exile

Oracles of God: Perceptions of Ancient Prophecy in Israel after the Exile

Ethics in Ancient Israel

Biblical Prophets and Contemporary Environmental Ethics

The Pentateuch (Oxford Bible Commentary)

The Gospels (Oxford Bible Commentary)