Review
Title: A History of the Bible: The Story of the World’s Most Influential Book
Author: John Barton
Publisher:Viking: An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Genre: Non-fiction
Year Published: 2019
Number of pages: 613
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 9780525428770
Price: $35.00
Reviewed by Dale E. Luffman for the Association for Mormon Letters
The claim is frequently made in Western culture that the Bible as we know it is unique unto itself – – a monolith, so to speak. It certainly has been an influential text, particularly in the western world, occupying a unique place in the western culture, with varying views regarding what it is and how it should be read and understood. As a collection of texts, the Bible has been foundational for Christian teaching and understanding from the earliest days of the church.
John Barton, a former Professor of Scripture at the University of Oxford, endeavors to show how the Bible, as the church’s book, is actually an important source of religious insight for both Jews and Christians. However, in doing so, he argues that the Bible as it is received in the contemporary culture should be read in its historical context. Neglecting this perspective is to distort both the Bible’s purpose and its message. A responsible treatment of the Bible should account for culture, myth, and folklore, as well as the many interpretations that have been proffered, if it is to be a credible interpretation of the texts comprising the Bible, according to Barton.
“A History of the Bible: The Story of the World’s Most Influential Book” explores the narratives, laws, genres, and writings that make up the content of both the Old and New Testaments, first surveying the composition of the Hebrew Bible [what Christian often refer to as the Old Testament] in showing how it is that this scripture was a unique prelude to the New Testament. Beginning with an introduction to the study of the Bible, Barton presents his argument in four parts. The first is a consideration of the Hebrew Bible [Old Testament] with a focus on the history and language of ancient Israel, Hebrew narratives, the Law and wisdom literature, prophecy, poems and the Psalms. This is foundational to all that follows.
The second part of his argument focuses on the New Testament. In this section Barton addresses Christian beginnings and the genres of letter and gospels. A consideration of the Bible and its texts as currently received is pursued with a focus on the evolutionary development of texts into books of scripture.
In the third part of his work Barton reminds the reader that the New Testament did not begin life as a collection of sacred writings but as occasional literature [page 239]. Barton declares that “there is clear evidence that for the first few generations the Gospels did not operate as sacred Scripture, but were seen as collections of material about Jesus which could be drawn on in retelling his story” [page 240], and that Paul’s letters, originally written as apostolic counsel, were meant to remain as a source of authoritative guidance for the community. In this the first readers of Paul did not go to the Old Testament to understand what Paul means. Rather, they read Paul to understand what the Old Testament meant. In the third section of Barton’s work consideration is given to what constitutes the canon as well as the historic conditions that lead to the formation and canonization of the New Testament. The exploring various biblical codices and manuscripts for the benefit of the readers’ understanding rounds out this section of the volume.
The fourth section of Barton’s work invites the reader to explore various meanings of the Bible over time, devoting separate chapters to select categories including consideration of “The Theme of the Bible”, “Rabbis and the Church Fathers”, “The Middle Ages”, “The Reformation and Its Readings”, “Since the Enlightenment”, and “Translating the Bible”. The reader is guided through these chapters, leading to an appreciation that early on “Christians necessarily had to establish a hermeneutic, that is a framework of understanding within which the Bible is to be interpreted; it came up with the rule of faith, which captures those aspects of the biblical texts that early Christians saw as central, and downplayed others” [page 330].
Some might say that this volume is a groundbreaking work. Perhaps. The work draws from some of the best interpretive traditions, enabling a potential responsible interpretation of the Bible – – an important corrective to inerrant readings of the Bible promoted by fundamentalists. The author notes that there exist divergent versions of Biblical materials [e.g., the Gospels], suggesting the implausibility of infallible texts. Barton notes that textual variations abound, cautioning readers of the Bible regarding claims that are often made regarding its texts. In a contributive, healthy manner, the reader is cautioned regarding an all too frequent tendency of the faithful to misconstrue the message and meaning of the Bible and its contents. The promotional materials encouraging the study of this text communicate that “A History of the Bible ultimately argues that a thorough understanding of the Bible’s origin encourages religious communities to move away from dissecting the Bible’s literal wording – – which is impossible to determine – – and focus instead on the broader meanings of scripture” [promotional brochure].
Neither Judaism not Christianity is conceivable without the Bible. The same might be said of the LDS faith tradition. A text in the Epistle of James, read by a young seeker, and acted on in supplicating prayer, gave rise to the LDS faith. Like other peoples of faith, the LDS movement would be inconceivable without the Biblical witness. That being said, Latter-day Saints could find this volume to be very helpful in contributing to an enhanced understanding of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The narrative and insights provided by Barton have the potential of assisting LDS members in moving beyond assumed limitations of a received tradition, perhaps benefiting from knowledge regarding the Bible offered in “A History of the Bible” by a very responsible Biblical scholar and writer.