The Bible: A History

Published in over a dozen countries, including China, Russia, and Egypt.

A taste of the intro

On the brink of execution, Paul wrote what many believe is his last surviving letter. He addressed it to his close friend Timothy, leader of a church in what is now Turkey. “All scripture is inspired by God,” Paul wrote, “and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 11:16).

The jailed apostle was talking about Jewish Scripture, which Christians today call the Old Testament. Little did he know that one day Christians would consider his private letter part of sacred Scripture. Paul was probably no exception in this regard. As far as scholars can tell, none of the biblical writers knew their words would become part of the Holy Bible.

Yet in time, people of faith came to recognize the Word of God in these laws, history, poetry, wise sayings, prophecy, gospels, and letters.

How people came to this awareness remains a mystery. We do know that not all Jews agreed on which writings belonged in their Bible, and that Christians debated what to include in the New Testament. It wasn’t until the late A.D. 300s that the majority of church leaders ruled in favour of the collection of writings that make up the Bible today.

Text-only edition

For folks more interested in the words than the pictures, here’s a text-only edition.
Specs:
Retail price: $17.95
Paperback: 464 pages
UK publisher: Lion Books (November 2015)
ISBN: 978-0-7459-7032-5
Product Dimensions: 5×8 inches
Available: Amazon