How The Bible Came To Be: A History of the Canon of Scripture

by Phylicia D. Masonheimer

Transcribed from Phylicia’s popular podcast series on the history of Scripture, this ebook covers how the Bible was compiled, why we can trust it, and the historical evidence for its authority. Each section covers a portion of Scripture and the history of its canonicity.

Genres: Christian, Theology, History, Church History, Nonfiction, Faith

94 pages, ebook

Reviews

[Abi Broda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. All my life I was told part of faith was just believing everything in the Bible was true without any explanation as to how the Bible came to be. This book answered so many questions for me, has given me deeper understanding, and clarified information I learned growing up. 10/10 recommended, and have already done so to multiple friends.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a helpful, easy-to-understand book that answers many modern questions about the authority of Scripture. (Why do we believe the Bible? How was it put together? How was it canonized? What about translations? The Catholic Bible? Who was involved in this process?) This helped me really appreciate the Bible I tend to take for granted. Worth a read!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent digestible read on how the Bible came to be. Includes info on the Apocrypha and Hebrew Bible.
Highly recommend!

[Becca Korvemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information. At the beginning I didn't love the writing style, but it either got better along the way or I got used to it.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been interested in how the Christian Bible came to be in its present form, but exploring that topic is incredibly intense. This book is a great alternative that is concise & well researched. The author provides many helpful resources for further independent research which is nice to have all in one place. I fully enjoyed every part of this book & found the chapter about the apocrypha especially informative. The Further Questions section in the last chapter was also very engaging, touching on several topics I’d like to read more about, like Gnosticism & controversial biblical translations. I found this book to be super helpful & I’m very glad I read it.

* I read the printed edition of this book that the author self-published this year (2022) because I knew I’d want to keep it in my library as a reference. The printed book is much higher quality than your average paperback book, so my notes & highlights didn’t bleed thru the pages like they do in most other books. The binding is super stiff though & I found myself having to bend the book backwards every time I turned a page to get it to stay open on the current page even partially. That said, it’s going to last a long time & I appreciate that very much.

[Holly Buhler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book is a good starting point, but doesn’t go into a whole lot of detail. I wish there were more sources included and explanation to where information came from / originated.

This was a more of a “the Bible is true because the Bible says so” kind of book.

A good starting point, but for me I left with more questions than answers.

I also felt like I had to continually fact check because again, no sources, and in chapter two she says the Hebrew for statutes (huqqa) Gen 26:5 is something written down… this is a modern definition of the word. In Hebrew (from the blue letter bible) it actually means something prescribed, nowhere does it indicate something written. Tora, also seen in that verse is a body of legal work probably written… maybe that’s what she saw? Idk…

Again, a good starting point and it made me do a lot more research but I wish I saw a review like this before I invested so much time into it.

[Lindsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads of the year!

This is not a light read, it's a lot to digest and process, but the content is invaluable for any Christ Follower.

I've read it multiple times and each time I retain a bit more, with so much more to go, but I at least know WHERE to go when I'm stuck.

My second time through was with a group of Disciples of Christ and it each person's take and perspective brought a plethora of discussions to each chapter. It was wonderful!

[Karla Ticona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una versión amigable y racional sobre cómo el canon de la Biblia se realizó y tenemos las sagradas escrituras en nuestras manos en diferentes idiomas y versiones. Muy recomendado.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, informative, and concise. A nice quick read!