This engrossing book demonstrates that the "cradle" (James Barr) of biblical criticism really lay in the English-speaking world and that subsequent problems actually began in England in the period between the Reformation and the Enlightenment. During this time, attempts were still being made on a regular basis to reconcile the content of the Bible with the questioning of it which was evolving as the result of new scientific discoveries and the development of new moral criteria. In this interdisciplinary study, Professor Reventlow leads the reader into the total context of the life and thought in which new ideas about the Bible came to birth. Beginning with the insights of early humanism and the spiritualist movements of the Reformation, and moving through the Puritans to a climax with the Deists, Reventlow traces the fascinating and complex history of biblical criticism, always emphasizing the close connection between theology, philosophical systems, and church politics. He illuminates the significance of the intellectual and constitutional development in England for the modern understanding of the Bible, and conversely, he highlights the role of the Bible in that development. The importance of this book is threefold. It is historical. It gives us insight into the way biblical understanding is achieved. And it helps us "understand how we ourselves work and think" (James Barr). If we are to answer the theological questions of our time, it is Reventlow's contention that the reply must "pioneer its way out of its past." For "only a careful survey of the way we have come so far can clarify existing intrinsic presuppositions and help us to overcome them by making us aware of them." -- from back cover.

Here, Anthony Thiselton brings together his encyclopedic knowledge of hermeneutics and his nearly four decades of teaching on the subject to provide an ideal textbook which takes the reader through the time-honoured interpretation techniques of the past and on to modern times.

All of our attempts to find the historical backgrounds to texts have led us to believe that we have "figured out" the Bible. Steering a course between modernity's obsession with historical readings and fundamentalism's compulsion for ahistorical readings, Christopher Seitz recovers a figural/typological approach to both the Old and New Testament that shapes a theological understanding of Scripture. Figured Out examines the loss of figural assumptions and models another way forward.

An examination of the role played by the Bible in the emergence of natural science.

Early Americans claimed that they looked to "the Bible alone" for authority, but the Bible was never, ever alone. Bible Culture and Authority in the Early United States is a wide-ranging exploration of the place of the Christian Bible in America in the decades after the Revolution. Attending to both theoretical concerns about the nature of scriptures and to the precise historical circumstances of a formative period in American history, Seth Perry argues that the Bible was not a "source" of authority in early America, as is often said, but rather a site of authority: a cultural space for editors, commentators, publishers, preachers, and readers to cultivate authoritative relationships. While paying careful attention to early national bibles as material objects, Perry shows that "the Bible" is both a text and a set of relationships sustained by a universe of cultural practices and assumptions. Moreover, he demonstrates that Bible culture underwent rapid and fundamental changes in the early nineteenth century as a result of developments in technology, politics, and religious life. At the heart of the book are typical Bible readers, otherwise unknown today, and better-known figures such as Zilpha Elaw, Joseph Smith, Denmark Vesey, and Ellen White, a group that includes men and women, enslaved and free, Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, Mormons, Presbyterians, and Quakers. What they shared were practices of biblical citation in writing, speech, and the performance of their daily lives. While such citation contributed to the Bible's authority, it also meant that the meaning of the Bible constantly evolved as Americans applied it to new circumstances and identities.

In Apostles of Reason, Molly Worthen offers a sweeping history of modern American evangelicalism, arguing that the faith has been shaped not by shared beliefs but by battles over the relationship between faith and reason.

Readers will gain even more appreciation for their Bible when they see how God directed its development, from the original authors through today’s translations. How Did We Get the Bible? provides an easy-to-read historical overview, covering the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of the writers, the preservation of the documents, the compilation of the canon, and the efforts to bring the Bible to people in their own language. This fascinating story, populated by intriguing characters, will encourage readers with God’s faithfulness—to His own Word, and to those of us who read it. It’s a fantastic, value-priced resource for individuals and ministries!

Covers the effects of the Bible on the West from the Reformation to the publication of the New English Bible.

In Defense of the Bible gathers exceptional articles by accomplished scholars (Paul Copan, William A. Dembski, Mary Jo Sharp, Darrell L. Bock, etc.), addressing and responding to all of the major contemporary challenges to the divine inspiration and authority of Scripture. The book begins by looking at philosophical and methodological challenges to the Bible—questions about whether or not it is logically possible for God to communicate verbally with human beings; what it means to say the Bible is true in response to postmodern concerns about the nature of truth; defending the clarity of Scripture against historical skepticism and relativism. Contributors also explore textual and historical challenges—charges made by Muslims, Mormons, and skeptics that the Bible has been corrupted beyond repair; questions about the authorship of certain biblical books; allegations that the Bible borrows from pagan myths; the historical reliability of the Old and New Testaments. Final chapters take on ethical, scientific, and theological challenges— demonstrating the Bible’s moral integrity regarding the topics of slavery and sexism; harmonizing exegetical and theological conclusions with the findings of science; addressing accusations that the Christian canon is the result of political and theological manipulation; ultimately defending the Bible as not simply historically reliable and consistent, but in fact the Word of God.