An Introduction to the Bible

195 Pages·2006·3.02 MB·English

by  J.W. Rogerson

An introduction to the
BiBle
BibleWorld
Series Editor: Philip R. Davies, University of Shefeld
BibleWorld shares the fruits of modern (and postmodern) biblical scholarship not
only among practitioners and students, but also with anyone interested in what
academic study of the Bible means in the twenty-rst century. It explores our
ever-increasing knowledge and understanding of the social world that produced
the biblical texts, but also analyses aspects of the Bible’s role in the history of our
civilization and the many perspectives – not just religious and theological, but
also cultural, political and aesthetic – which drive modern biblical scholarship.
Published:
Sodomy: A History of a Christian Biblical Myth
Michael Carden
Yours Faithfully: Virtual Letters from the Bible
Edited by: Philip R. Davies
The Apostle Paul and His Letters
Edwin D. Freed
The Morality of Paul’s Converts
Edwin D. Freed
The Origins of the ‘Second’ Temple:
Persian Imperial Policy and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem
Diana Edelman
Israel’s History and the History of Israel
Mario Liverani
History, Literature and Theology in the Book of Chronicles
Edited by: Ehud Ben Zvi
Symposia: Confrontations in Biblical Studies
Roland Boer
Forthcoming
Sectarianism in Early Judaism
Edited by: David J. Chalcraft
Linguistic Dating of Biblical Texts
An Introduction to Approaches and Problems
Ian Young and Robert Rezetko

Vive Memor Mortis
Qoheleth and the Wisdom of his Day
Thomas Bolin
An introduction to the
BiBle
revised edition
J.W. rogerson
Published by

UK: Equinox Publishing Ltd
Unit 6, The Village,
101 Amies St.,
London, SW11 2JW

US: DBBC,
28 Main Street,
Oakville, CT 06779

www.equinoxpub.com

First edition published by Penguin in 1999. This revised edition first published
2005.

© J.W. Rogerson 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permis-
sion in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rogerson, J. W. (John William), 1935-
An introduction to the Bible / J.W. Rogerson.-- Rev. ed.
p. cm. -- (BibleWorld)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-84553-039-X (pbk.)
1. Bible--Introductions. I. Title. II. Bible world (London, England)
BS475.3.R64 2005
220.6'1--dc22
2005004433

ISBN-10 1-84553-039-X (paperback)
ISBN-13 978-1-84553-039-6 (paperback)

Typeset by CA Typesetting Ltd, www.sheffieldtypesetting.com
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Lightning Source UK Ltd, Milton Keynes
eISBN: 1845534824
For Merab

CONTENTS

Preface to the Revised Edition ix
Preface to the Original Edition xi
Abbreviations xiii
Maps xiv

CHAPTER 1
What Is the Bible? 1

CHAPTER 2
How Biblical Writers Wrote 19

CHAPTER 3
The Making of the Old Testament 34

CHAPTER 4
The Making of the Apocrypha 56

CHAPTER 5
The Making of the New Testament 73

CHAPTER 6
The Canon of the Bible 101

CHAPTER 7
The Study of the Bible 111

CHAPTER 8
The Use of the Bible 134

Notes 150
Glossary 157
Bibliography 163
Index 168

PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION

The original edition of this book was published by Penguin Books in 1999
and subsequently translated into Spanish (Una introductión a la Biblia
[Barcelona: Paidós, 2000]), and Portuguese (O Livro de Ouro da Bíblia [Rio
de Janiero: Ediouro, 2002]). It has been widely used in colleges and training
schemes for ordained ministry, but unfortunately went out of print in
2004. I am most grateful to Penguin Books for allowing the rights of the
English edition to revert to me and to Janet Joyce of Equinox for being
willing to publish a revised edition. I have taken the opportunity of re-
publication to make small alterations and revisions throughout the book.
Since its appearance in 1999, two works have been published with which I
have had a close involvement, and which can be recommended for further
study. They are The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible (ed. J. Rogerson;
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) and Eerdmans Commentary on the
Bible (ed. J.D.G. Dunn and J.W. Rogerson; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
2003). The revised edition of the present work also omits the very short
excursus on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and readers interested in this subject are
recommended to consult the recently-published work by P.R. Davies, G.J.
Brooke and P.R. Callaway, The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls
(London: Thames & Hudson, 2002).
I have been gratified by the many comments I have received about the
book’s helpfulness, and am glad that its appearance in a revised form will
continue to make it available. I am grateful to my niece, Rhianna Fulford,
for assistance with preparing this new edition.