For many, the Bible is the Word of God, written by Him, discovered by Man as if left in the drawer of some ancient hotel bedside table. Karen Armstrong's The Bible: A Biography traces the evolution of this mysterious and malleable text, showing it to be --no less than any other living thing -- a product of natural selection, written and winnowed over many centuries in response to changing political climates, and only in danger of extinction when stripped of its divine mutability. From the beginning, priests were reluctant to record sacred oral traditions for fear that writing them down would encourage stridency and inflexibility. Revelation must be an ongoing process, and only those texts that best lent themselves to reinterpretation made the cut. Times of greatest societal stress spurred the greatest creativity: Jewish exile following the destruction of the First Temple gave us Torah's Law and the Prophets; the destruction of the Second Temple spawned the books of the New Testament. As a form of consolation after trauma, men wrestled with the the Bible's more obscure passages, glossing and allegorizing in a feisty dialogue with their sometimes incomprehensible creator. The Enlightenment, however, came to demand a new scientific certainty, which, ironically, gave birth to both Darwinism and the backlash of modern fundamentalism. Now, Armstrong postulates, our war-torn, genocidal era reads literal, prophetic meaning into the Book of Revelations, originally written as an anguished revenge fantasy against Roman persecution. The great first-century rabbi Meir wrote that any interpretation spreading hatred or disdain was illegitimate, and Armstrong ends with a plea for a return by members of all faiths to more charitable exegesis, lest the Bible, that most historically supple of books, calcify and become the dangerous weapon our forefathers feared. --Sheri Holman
Publishers Weekly
Of all the "Books That Changed the World"-the recently launched series to which this book belongs-surely the Bible is among the most important. And of all contemporary popularizers of religious history, surely Armstrong is among the bestselling. Who better, then, to recount the history of the Bible in eight short chapters than this former nun and literature professor who relishes huge topics (The History of God) and panoramic descriptions (The Great Transformation)? Armstrong not only describes how, when and by whom the Bible was written, she also examines some 2,000 years of biblical interpretation by bishops and rabbis, scholars and mystics, pietists and critics, thus opening up a myriad of exegetical approaches and dispelling any fundamentalist notion that only one view can be correct. Readers unfamiliar with ecclesiastical history may feel overwhelmed by dense chapters that read more like annotated lists than narrative-a hazard of trying to cover so much in so little space. (A glossary helps to anchor the bewildered.) At her best when she pauses long enough to expand on a topic, Armstrong offers intriguing insights on, for example, the allegorical method developed by Origen in the third century and the mystical midrash of the Kabbalists in medieval Spain and Provence. (Nov.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal
British author and former nun Armstrong (A Short History of Myth) is one of the best writers on the Bible and contemporary world religions currently being published. Always erudite and accessible, she understands the value of historical precedent, apocrypha, biblical scholarship, and good storytelling. In this work, part of Grove/Atlantic's "Books That Changed the World" series, Armstrong argues that the Bible is one of history's most powerful and valuable books. Reminding listeners that the 66 books in the Bible were passed down orally and then turned into scripture and collected into a single work that became one of the most sacred and debated texts in Christianity, Armstrong offers engaging analysis and commentary. The Bible, written by multiple authors, using various points of view, and most often associated with Christianity, has changed over the course of its history. Different religions, denominations, and sects have taken the text as their own, which has led some to challenge the book's historical accuracy. Armstrong explores change and controversy with rational thinking and genuine respect, and Josephine Bailey's reading is lively and provocative. Recommended for all libraries with large audio collections. [Also available as downloadable audio from Audible.-Ed.]
—Pam Kingsbury
Kirkus Reviews
Detailed review of the creation and study of the Bible through the centuries. Religion scholar Armstrong (The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions, 2006, etc.) opens with the accepted explanation for the creation of Hebrew scripture, then moves on to the prophetic and wisdom writings. The book's early chapters are especially notable for the author's strong presentation of historical background. After discussing the basics of the Hebrew Bible, Armstrong moves on to the life of Jesus and the written documents that ensued. From this point forward, she does an exceptional job of balancing and interweaving Jewish and Christian approaches to scripture. She discusses the tradition of Midrash both as an art in its own right and as an influence on early Christian perceptions of scripture. Likewise, when exploring Christian study of the Bible in medieval monasteries and universities, she compares their work to that of contemporary Jewish counterparts. The narrative advances chronologically into the Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment and finally the modern era. Today, Armstrong avers, readings of the Bible are influenced by the techniques of scholarly criticism, which lessens the faith of some while fueling a fundamentalist backlash among others. Again, she seamlessly weaves together the history of Jews and Christians in this period. Little here is new, although that is not really an issue for an entry in Atlantic's Books That Changed the World series. More troubling: The text often reads like a long academic paper, with only limited original insight from the author. Armstrong concludes by urging scholars to employ charity and compassion in their biblicalexegeses-though her faith in humanity's ability or desire to do this seems shaky at best. Overshadowed by Armstrong's more ambitious A History of God (1993), but religion students will find this a worthwhile resource. First printing of 100,000
From the Publisher
“A fascinating investigation.” —Christian Advance
“For the Books That Changed the World series . . . Armstrong accepted the arguably most daunting assignment. What other book has as long a history of influence as the Bible, or has affected more people and societies? [Armstrong] is, of course, up to the task and provides an excellent précis of the writing and compiling of the Bible and the ensuing centuries of biblical interpretation. . . . This is one terrific little book.” —Booklist
“Dispels any notion of religion as a rigidly fixed reading of sacred texts. Spanning millennia, from the scripture's origins in oral stories to the conflicting beliefs, ancient and modern, over its message, her book will discomfort fundamentalists who believe that the Bible means what it says and says what it means.” —Rich Barlow, The Boston Globe
“One of the merits of Armstrong’s book is that it points to the modern origin of literalist interpretations of Scripture, and then revisits the preceding centuries of Biblical scholarship to bring its considerable diversity to the notice of modern readers.” —Edward Norman, Literary Review
“Vintage Armstrong: sweeping, bold, incisive, and insightful. In eight chapters it covers the history of the writing, canonizing, and reading of the Bible… Her choice of topics is impeccable … and her brief, 23-page discussion on the rise of the Talmud is masterful.” —P.L. Redditt, Choice
“A handy, erudite primer on the Holy Books.” —The Jerusalem Report
“A whirlwind tour through biblical studies. . . Armstrong’s analysis of the freedom previous generations (however far removed) felt with adapting, editing, redacting and re-writing the texts to suit contemporary purposes will undoubtedly remind savvy readers of all the current uses to which these same texts are being put.” —Kel Munger, Sacramento News & Review
“[Armstrong] shows how the highly disparate writings that now compose the Jewish and Christian scriptures came together and examines the very different methods of interpretation used over the centuries. Her book's great strength is the way she unfolds the Jewish and Christian histories of formation and interpretation in parallel with one another.” —Richard Harries, The Guardian“A learned but accessible history of the Bible's origins and genesis. Armstrong goes behind the authorized versions preached by the churches to recreate the order – and the political and social circumstances – in which the books of the Old and New testaments were first written down, amended, and then endlessly reinterpreted and recast…. Armstrong's great achievement, however, is that, as well as leaving you with a clearer, more historically accurate picture as to what precisely the Bible is (and isn't), she also makes you want to go back and read it again with fresh eyes.” —Peter Stanford, The Independent (UK)
"[Armstrong] has never written on such a broad scale, or with as much passion . . . [her] concern that religion should no longer be used to promote violence animates her measured, lucid prose and vivifies her summar of the development of the Bible and its interpretation.”
—Bruce Chilton, New York Sun
“Karen Armstrong preaches the gospel truth in The Bible, explaining how the spiritual guide for one out of three people on the planet came into being and evolved over the centuries”
—Elissa Schappell, Vanity Fair
“[A] richly interwoven and often surprising history.” —Michael Alec Rose, Bookpage
“While there are countless guides to reading the Bible, noted academic Karen Armstrong looks at the history of the book with a keen historian’s eye. … Armstrong condenses into a manageable volume the many ideas and traditions that influenced the creation of the Good Book.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This is one terrific little book.” —Booklist
“[A] spending series." —Bill Ward, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“[Armstrong] does an exceptional job of balancing and interweaving Jewish and Christian approaches to scripture.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Of all the ‘Books that Changed the World’ surely the Bible is among the most important. And of all contemporary popularizes of religious history, surely Armstrong is among the bestselling. Who better, then, to recount the history of the Bible in eight short chapters than this former nun and literature professor who relishes huge topics and panoramic descriptions? Armstrong not only describes how, when and by whom the Bible was written, she also examines some 2,000 years of biblical interpretation.” —Publishers Weekly
“Armstrong judiciously summarizes centuries of history and writes with remarkable insight.”
—Christian Science Sentinel
"Armstrong is at her best when explaining how today’s focus on the Bible as a literal, static text runs counter to a longstanding interpretative tradition that viewed study of the good book as ‘an activity for attaining transcendence.’” —Andrea McQuillin, Shambhala Sun
JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile
This latest installment in the Books That Changed the World series portrays the BIBLE as a living organism, examining its development over the centuries and demonstrating how Christian, Jewish, and secular influences are interwoven into the various versions. While the author's reputation for scholarship is evident, this particular effort does not translate well to audio despite Josephine Bailey’s competence. Bailey skillfully keeps the text moving, easily handling historical terms and names, but it still sounds like one is listening to a laundry list of names and dates. Perhaps multiple listens might help—as much of the terminology is most likely unfamiliar to the average listener, who would have a far easier experience taking in the information in print. M.H.N. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
