The Bible through the Ages

by Reader's Digest Association

Sweeping in scope and alive with fascinating information, The Bible Through the Ages presents an unparalleled look at the Bible, the most influential work in human history. You'll get fresh insights the story of Abraham and how he came to worship one God; the development of writing that offered an exciting new way of preserving biblical tradition; the conquests of David and the building of Solomon's Temple and how these events spurred biblical writing; the four Gospels and the men who wrote them; and the spread of the Gospel from the end of the first century to the end of the second millennium.
Drawing on the latest scholarly research and archeological finds, The Bible Through the Ages sheds light on the editorial decisions that shaped the Bible and the controversies that often surrounded them. It discusses the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and what they teach us about the text of the Bible.
In these pages, you'll discover how the words of the Bible were preserved - from early Hebrew texts of the Old Testament to the translations of the New Testament from Greek into Latin and the vernacular languages of Europe.
The people who spread the Word are here, ancient scholars who collected letters, histories, songs, and poems into a single volume of sacred writings; monks who painstakingly copied the texts during the Middle Ages; and the fearless missionaries who carried the Bible and its message to remote corners of the earth.
Photographs, maps, and reconstructions of ancient sites transport you back in time and place. Magnificent illuminations from medieval manuscripts, finely sewn tapestries, and master works of art demonstrate the impact of the Bible on the creative imagination throughout the centuries.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Reference, Theology, Christian, Christianity

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 1996

About the author

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.

The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fantastic book! It is the single best collection of photos of religious art and artifacts I have ever seen. Literally and truly more interesting than the text it describes, this concise (relatively, considering the subject matter) and easy to read volume was fascinating. Following the lineage of how the Old and New Testaments were translated from their original languages (Hebrew and Greek respectively) to the modern languages today, the real-life historical disputes it involved, was fascinating to me, especially since I have become bilingual and have encountered the many questions and issues of translation myself. Also, to know how the content of these books was created, by whom, where and when - all fascinating. Great as an introduction to both the most important and the very obscure aspects of Bible history, I was very very impressed by this book.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. It covers a lot of ground without digging too deep. Nonetheless, it is packed with historical facts and with important references. A valuable book for someone starting on a Biblical study, from a historical point of view.

[Andy J.]

Great Book - Great overview of How the Bible came to be

[The_J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a trip for the Word of God.

[Michael Medlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photographs sell the book , honestly

[Belsac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the who, what, when,where and why of the bible. Easy to read with lots of pictures, graphs, charts... Would be a good study guide.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilustrated history of the logistics of the actual manusctipt. It's a good reference. I enjoyed it when I read it but I often refer to sections of it from time to time.