The Bible: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

John Riches (Author)

Book Description

Series: Very Short Introductions | Publication Date: June 15, 2000

It is sometimes said that the Bible is one of the most unread books in the world, yet has been a major force in the development of Western culture and continues to exert an enormous influence over many people's lives. This Very Short Introduction looks at the importance accorded to the Bible by different communities and cultures and attempts to explain why it has generated such a rich variety of uses and interpretations. It explores how the Bible was written, the development of the canon, the role of Biblical criticism, the appropriation of the Bible in high and popular culture, and its use for political ends.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`John Riche's more postage-stamp-sized The Bible offers a balanced, scholarly overview.' The Independent, 22/12/2001

About the Author

John Riches is Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. His published work includes The World of Jesus: First Century Judaism in Crisis and A Century of New Testament Study.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192853430
• ISBN-13: 978-0192853431
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice homage to a cultural icon, November 9, 2003

By 

Charles S. Houser (Binghamton, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bible: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

This "very short" (142 pages if you don't count the bibliography and indices) has turned me on to the entire Oxford University Press series of "Very Short Introductions." This still-expanding series covers a vast array of religious, historical, philosophical, scientific subjects (think of all the electives you never had time for in college). I've always been turned off by the flippancy of certain popular paperbacks that purport to explain the basics of a variety of topics. By padding their discussions with low-brow humor and patronizing detail, they end up being two or three times longer than they need to be. The Oxford VSI books, however, take both the reader's interest and time constraints seriously.

This VSI on the Bible, for instance, approaches its subject from a variety of angles (not just how the Bible came about over thousands of years, but how it has been interpreted by both people of faith and by Western culture at large). And the brevity of the text does not prevent the author from presenting some amazing ironies--like how the same book that has been used to oppress others (as Europe colonized and missionized the world) has served to give voice to those seeking to extricate themselves from the effects of colonialization. Two of the earlier chapters, "How the Bible Was Written" and "The Making of the Bible," do an amazing job of explaining the basics about how the Bible came about, what exactly is "the canon," and how and why one biblical voice differs from others (sometimes even within the same book of the Bible). The discussion is sane, balanced, and scholarly. Even people who have no interest in reading the Bible as a document of faith will have trouble disputing any of Riches's observations about this classic of Western literature. Well done, OUP!

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Intellectiual essay on the Bible, January 23, 2002

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bible: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

Mr. Riches writes an essay on the Bible that I think presumes you have at least a basic familiarity with the bible. Those that do not will struggle at various points particularly if their history of the Middle East or the world is limited. Mr. Riches discusses the development of both the old and New Testaments, who wrote them, when and for what purpose. He notes that the bible was virtually a written guide for the sharing of community values. He notes that while the new testament concentrates on Christ and his meanings the old concentrates on Abraham while discussing the effects both had on their cultures. The former looks to the defeat of their oppressors while the latter looks to a return to Israel. The book also covers the effect the bible has had on modern culture, the bad such as exploitation of the Indians of South America because of their alleged inferiority and the good where Desmond Tutu utilizes the teachings of the bible to communicate to the Afrikaners that black Africans deserve to be treated as men, equals. Not a simple book, its challenging and a little too brief about the origins of the bible which I think is the most fascinating part of the book. But the again, it's a brief introduction.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No actual discussion of the content of the bible, November 7, 2011

By 

Adam (Marietta, GA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bible: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

What is here isn't bad. But when I look for an introduction to the bible I am looking for an understanding of 3 things 1) how it was written and the cannon established (does good with this), 2) how it has been understood over time (it is ok, but not great with this) and 3) what is in the bible. What is in the bible is completely absent from this introduction.

If you have a short book, then I would not include a section on politics or gender or various heresies before I talked about what was actually in the bible.