The Bible : a history : the making and impact of the Bible / Stephen M. Miller & Robert V. Huber

Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-243) and index.

Old Testament takes shape: Introduction -- Timeline -- By word of mouth -- First writings -- Writing Hebrew -- Moses gives the Law -- Papyrus; paper from the Nile -- David and his royal writers -- Psalms: Israel's hymn book -- Bible poems -- Sources of the Pentateuch -- Shaping the Pentateuch -- Prophets and scribes -- Unflattering history -- History with a viewpoint -- Later prophecies and history -- Evidence supporting the Bible -- Lost books of the Bible -- Writings: Last but not least -- Jewish worship and the Bible -- First Bible translation -- Philo of Alexandria -- Settling the Jewish Bible -- Books that did not make it -- Josephus, Jewish historian -- Scripture in Jesus' language -- New Testament takes shape: Spreading the good news -- Paul's letters to the Gentiles -- First-century letter writing -- Writing down the good news -- Matthew and Luke follow Mark -- Fourth gospel -- Letters not written by Paul -- Apostolic fathers -- Unwanted Gnostic gospels -- Bible in early worship -- From scroll to book -- First study Bible -- Quest for a Christian Bible -- Settling the New Testament -- 'Almost' scriptures -- Popular Christian writings -- Ways of reading the Bible -- Bible in a rapidly growing church: Jerome the fiery scholar -- Jerome's Latin Bible -- Augustine and the Bible -- Pilgrimages to the Holy Land -- Writing down the spoken law -- Clarifying the Hebrew Bible -- Bible for warriors -- Bible goes East -- Mystics, monks and the Bible -- Life as a monastic scribe -- Illuminating a manuscript -- Luxury Bible covers -- Bible comes to Britain -- Irish monks make their mark -- Bibles for Europe -- Medieval worship -- Bible in plays -- Bible goes to college -- Francis, a living gospel -- End-time fever -- King's Bible -- Blockbooks printed from wood -- Book of the Reformation: Wycliffe and his Bible -- Bible heretics -- Christian Renaissance -- Bible goes to press -- Beyond Gutenberg -- Luther and his Bible -- Polyglot Bibles -- Tyndale-fugitive translator -- More reformation-era bibles -- Catholic response -- Bibles from exile -- King James version -- Reflections in poetry -- Bibles in the New World -- Bible in the modern world: Enlightenment dims the Bible -- Nineteenth-century Bibles -- Bible heads Far East -- Bibles in the South Pacific -- Bibles come to Africa --

Bible and slavery -- Doomsday specialists -- Bible societies worldwide -- Wycliffe translators -- Digging up the past -- Biblical criticism emerges -- Critics get back to basics -- Writers and revisers at work -- Biblical scholarship today -- Bible as literature -- Dead Sea scrolls -- In search of a reliable text -- Recent European translations -- Popular Bibles in English -- Comparing modern translations -- Ways to translate the Bible -- Specialized Bibles today -- Bible in literature -- Bible in moving images -- Using and abusing the Bible -- Bible trivia and oddities -- Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Index -- Acknowledgments

This beautifully illustrated book is divided into five sections: The Old Testament Takes Shape; The New Testament Takes Shape; The Bible in a Rapidly Growing Church; The Book of Reformation; and The Bible in Modern World. The Bible has had a profound influence on the diverse cultures of Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Africa, and it has left an imprint on Asia. The Bible: A History, tells the story of this remarkable book from its making to its emergence as the best-selling book in history. Written in a lively and lucid style, the text brings the story and key people involved in it to life. It shows how the Bible has inspired the whole range of human emotion and experience, including the finest art and literature. By use of contemporary quotations, photography, full-color art, maps, charts, and special features, The Bible: A History, is attractive and easy to read, full of information and insight. It is ideal for anyone wanting to learn about one of the most extraordinary books in history