The Bible: A Biography (Books That Changed the World) (Hardcover)

by Karen Armstrong (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From 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.)
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From Booklist
For the Books That Changed the World series of brief "biographies" of momentous books, 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? The author of the sweeping histories of religion The Great Transformation (2006) and A History of God (1993) 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. Armstrong traces the Bible's transformation from a miscellany of texts into scripture, to which the Jesus movement added the Gospel and the other New Testament texts pretty much in tandem with the development of midrash and the Talmud by non-Christian Jews after the 70 CE destruction of the third temple in Jerusalem. She shows both Christian and rabbinic traditions of interpretation subsequently converging upon charity or love as the essence of God. The subjects of the last three chapters—the medieval monastic practice of reading the Bible called lectio divina, Martin Luther's doctrine of sola scriptura, and intellectual modernity—are each considered for the ways they gave rise to interpretive movements that affected Christianity directly and spurred reactions in Judaism. This is one terrific little book. Olson, Ray

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (November 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871139693
• ISBN-13: 978-0871139696
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,603 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

159 of 167 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview, October 14, 2007

By	Otagosh (Tuakau, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

Karen Armstrong's book is (despite a poorly selected cover on the American edition) the most straight-forward, lucid explanation of how the Bible originated that I've seen. In only 230 pages the reader is taken on a tour of the current scholarly consensus about what we now know about the Bible's beginnings and development, not what the Sunday morning popularizers would like us to think. This book is written for non-specialists (something the previous reviewer doesn't seem to appreciate), which means you get a general account without footnotes, and that makes it highly readable. If you recoil from the literalism of the proof-texting preachers, here is a measure of both liberation and exhilaration. Even the short introduction is a tour de force of common sense all by itself. Brilliant!

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Got (and kept) my attention., November 17, 2007

By	From middle America. "Trying to understand." (Northern California) - See all my reviews

Since leaving compulsory Sunday school (50 years ago), I have coexisted with religions: they go their way(s), I go on my different path. This is not to say that I don't read the occasional book on religion (in society, not for scripture or sacred literature). Until now, however, I had not been able to finish any book on what the Bible is, where it came from, etc.

Re Karen Armstrong's book: A positive reviewer (on Amazon) calls this a "straight-forward, lucid explanation of how the Bible originated." A cricic says, "Everything comes across as an established fact rather than as a theory or reconstuction."

I agree with both points. The book is highly readable for the non-specialist, and not offensive to someone who refuses to wade through intensive academic studies or through propaganda from one religion or another. Of the critic I ask: can it be anything other than simplified? I am unwilling to immerse myself in arguments about evidence, theory, etc. - leave that for the divinity schools and their ilk.

In sum, the fact that Karen Armstrong does not definitively answer the fundamental questions is not relevant to my appreciation of the material.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An ongoing biography that could include you, December 30, 2007

By	J Kragt (Fort Washington, Maryland) - See all my reviews

"The Bible: A Biography" is Karen Armstrong's best book. It's short, but opens all windows and doors to the infinite. Let's explore a living reality that cannot be trapped between two covers, she seems to say. She hints that the Bible is an biography because it's unfinished and always will be. It's a biography that includes anyone who wishes to participate: this is one open chat room!

Unlike many scholars of the Bible, Armstrong doesn't try to give you the Final Word. For example, as I was reading her book, the doorbell rang and I was offered this book: "What the Bible REALLY Teaches."

Nevertheless, orthodox "believers" have not wanted to imagine how the Bible came into being over time. Nor how the Bible has been interpreted differently through the ages. Nor the nature of the book as it exists today. Too threatening to our "beliefs"; we want absolutes, written in stone.

Ironically, these fears result in many believers treating the Bible more like a set of Tarot cards. This is not necessarily bad if you know this is what you're doing. According to Armstrong, this is a time-honored way of approaching the Bible. Many church fathers (for example, Origin) and Midrash fathers (perhaps some mothers too) stared so long at each word that depth upon depth upon depth of meaning expanded out exponentially.

The Bible is best approached as a humble and trusting seeker, not a believer. It offers you a time-tested spiritual practice, an invitation to embrace the human-divine nexus with all its messiness. But in the modern age of materialistic science, believers have reacted in a narrow literal way. Hence, instead of "seeing" through the Bible, they get stuck in the Bible. The Bible becomes a legal document a "believer" must sign onto, without eyes to see, or ears to hear, deadening.

Armstrong's vision could be a wake up call. She is a prophet, whether she defines herself as a Christian or not. "Don't be afraid; Trust," she seems to say. "And enjoy the ride." I will return to this book again and again.