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Neil R. Lightfoot

How We Got the Bible Hardcover – July 1, 2003

by Neil R. Lightfoot (Author)

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Accessible account of how the Bible has been preserved and transmitted to today's generation. Now includes chapters on the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Baker Books
Publication date

July 1, 2003
Dimensions

6.25 x 1 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

080101252X
ISBN-13

978-0801012525
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Find answers to key questions about the Bible.

How accurate are modern translations such as the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version? Why does the Roman Catholic Bible have more books than most Protestant Bibles? How can we be sure that the Biblical message has been accurately preserved through the centuries? How We Got the Bible, after more than forty years, has become a classic source of answers for these and other questions on how the Bible has come down to us.

Now in this revised edition, you will find five new chapters covering the Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, the Sinaitic Manuscript, the illuminated manuscripts, and more. Every chapter in this edition includes new material, followed by a brief summary and questions for discussion. Neil R. Lightfoot deals with technical issues in non-technical language, making this book a valuable tool for any reader.

Back flap

Neil R. Lightfoot (Ph.D., Duke University) serves as Frank Pack Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He is the author of several books, including Everyone's Guide to Hebrews.

From the Back Cover

"Popular and readable."
Christianity Today

How old are the earliest Biblical manuscripts?
How has the Bible been preserved and transmitted to us?
Why do we have so many different translations of the Bible?
How did early Christians decide which writings to include in the Bible?

How We Got the Bible provides well-researched, accessible answers to many questions like these. Learn about the first materials used to write down the words of Scripture. Uncover the facts of some of history's most fascinating archaeological discoveries, including those of the Sinaitic Manuscript, the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Travel through history, from Jerome to Tyndale and beyond, as Neil R. Lightfoot discusses the origin, transmission, and translation of the Bible.

Illustrations and review questions at the end of each chapter make this book ideal for either individual or group study. Concise and engaging, How We Got the Bible is a useful resource for anyone who wants to know the story behind the most widely read book of all time.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Baker Books; 3rd edition (July 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080101252X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801012525
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #797,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,034 in Christian Bible Exegesis & Hermeneutics
- #4,473 in History of Christianity (Books)
- #4,823 in Christian Church History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
327 ratings

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Neil R. Lightfoot

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Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		13%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Páll

Not serious scholarship

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2019

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I expected this book to be an objective, secular look at the best evidence we have for how the Bible came into its final form. I stopped reading after the first 50 pages. Looking through the contents, it's clear that this is some religious guy's half-effort to explain the bible while also keep it open to the possibility that, for instance, Moses wrote the Torah, which is, by the evidence we do have, clearly UNLIKELY. Just having read a small amount of the Oxford Annotated Bible will tell you that much. What is even the point of this book? To give religious people the illusion that they understand the history of their religion without providing them the full story? The first chapter of this book is wasted on talking about the history of the written word. Why do we need to know that?

12 people found this helpful

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Downey Rob

Fascinating to read.

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2018

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At the intersection of faith and reason, we find the book of books, the Bible. Neil R. Lightfoot has written a manuscript called How We Got the Bible to explain that book’s mysterious past, and calm any fears of doubt about its current rendition. Lightfoot’s book is designed for readers to explore relevant facts and simplify research material in a nontechnical manner, while making the subject interesting. The author succeeds marvelously in my opinion. I was already reading two other books when this classic book arrived for my reading pleasure. I call this book a classic because it’s been around since 1963, going on multiple printing. I soon set aside other books and found myself fascinated by the subject.
Neil Lightfoot breaks down the task of how we got our Bible into eighteen well crafted arguments to validate the biblical transition from ancient text to modern translation. I especially enjoyed the chapters on the making of ancient books, the significance of textual variations, and the apocryphal books. Case in point, from the chapter on Apocryphal Books, “The word apocrypha has come into the English language from the Greek and basically means ‘hidden’. It was used very early in the sense of ‘secretive’ or ‘concealed’ but was also used in reference to a book whose origin was doubtful or unknown. Eventually the word took on the meaning of the noncanonical and thus for centuries the noncanonical books have been known as apocryphal books.”
Since the age of eleven, I have been interested in the apocryphal books but everyone I asked in bible classes could not give me an adequate answer about why the subject was taboo in the church. I read that some congregations in churches of Christ even banished teachers who dared speak on the subject. The author explains the discrepancy with seven reasons why the books should not be regarded as scripture. In summary, the books were never included in the Old Testament, they were never accepted as canonical by Jesus and his apostles, and they do not evidence intrinsic qualities of inspiration. Finally in my eyes, the subject has been resolved to satisfaction with reasonable scholarship from the author.
Neil R. Lightfoot passed away in September 19, 2012. The author is known for this book and scholarly articles. He preached in gospel meetings around the world, and was minister of churches in Waco (Lakeview Church of Christ); Winston-Salem, N.C. (Central Church of Christ); Burlington, N.C. (Vaughn Road Church of Christ) and Abilene (11th and Willis Church of Christ). He was a scholar and a gentleman whose influence continues well beyond his years with the book, How We Got the Bible.

10 people found this helpful

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Eutychus II

How we Got the Bible. 2016 book with same title is better by far.

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2016

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Still useful, but old (3rd ed., 2003) and hardly any illustrations, just text. Newer award winner with many illustrations in color and at about the same level of detail (slightly less, but broader in scope: How We Got the Bible = Jones Timothy Paul. How we Got the Bible. (Rose Publishing, 2015). ISBN-13: 978-1628622164. Christian Book of the Year Award, 2016 (Bible Reference). A book that is more in depth is Wegner's The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible .

43 people found this helpful

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D. Foster

A detailed not too detailed account of where we get the Bible.

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2018

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I give or recommend a copy of this book to anyone who wants to know more about the history of the Bible and where all the texts come from that are translated into our English Bibles. People are more than ever doubting the validity and historicity of the Bible. This book helps put many of those doubts to bed and restores our faith that the Bible we have now is the most accurately translated piece of ancient text we have by far. Lightfoot does a lot of the heavy lifting for us but gives us the ability to check up on his research all without making the book seem boring or too detailed. Overall, it’s a great overview of the subject that I know has personally encouraged a lot of Christians and I’ll keep recommending it to all who want to know how we got the Bible.

9 people found this helpful

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Diane L. Dixon

Excellent History of the Holy Book

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019

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I liked this book, first of all because of it’s subject, the history of the Bible. I found it to be fascinating as to how the translations from the Hebrew and Greek languages gave us readers today the accuracy of the written word from centuries ago. Being a Christian, I’ve always wanted to the basis of the Bible and how it was translated from ancient languages. This book has convinced me of the accuracy of the Bible and my faith is even stronger now for taking the time to read it. The author did a great job in presenting the information in a simple and concise way for anyone who is interested in learning about the inspired Word.

3 people found this helpful

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BigCatDaddy60

Origins of our Bible

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2015

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I thought this was a great book that encouraged my faith in the Bible as truly being God's Word. I found it easy to read, not too didactic. There were some long parts about different manuscripts & types of parchments, but they were clearly presented. The author showed an amazing familiarity with the fascinating history of how the Christian faith has translated & preserved the copies of the books of the Bible throughout time. Perhaps the most compelling part was learning that the version of the Bible we have today is still very accurate & has NOT varied significantly since the days of the Apostles. I was also impressed that the Bible, unlike any other ancient collection of writings, has literally thousands of copies of fragments to back up our present day version. The uniqueness of the Bible shines in this book, so much so that the Author Himself, is undoubtedly seen as being involved in the miraculous preservation of His revelation to mankind. I recommend this book!

9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

peter f stuart

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2018

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Fascinating

Mrs L

Great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2014

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Thorough but clear explanation of how today's English Bible[s] developed, also clear on where the (very small number) of areas of uncertainty are.

ginger jock

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2016

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Informative and well written

Timothy

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2015

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A very good account, well worth a read.

Roy.

well documented travel through the bible history

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2018

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good read which gives you an understanding of the bible and how it developed over time.

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About the author

Neil R. Lightfoot

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