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Illuminating the History of the Bible

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Discover the incredible story of the Bible

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It’s been burned, banned, and beloved. But how did we get it?

In Scribes and Scripture (Crossway), the Text & Canon Institute directors answer this question for lay readers. Beginning with the invention of the alphabet and moving to the most recent English translations, they explain how the Bible was written and copied, canonized, and translated across the centuries.

Based on informed Old and New Testament scholarship and illustrated throughout with maps, charts, sidebars, and pictures, Dr. Meade and Dr. Gurry help you better appreciate the story of the Bible as a way to better appreciate the stories in the Bible.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction

Part 1: Text
Chapter 1: Writing the Bible
Chapter 2: Copying the Old Testament
Chapter 3: Copying the New Testament

Part 2: Canon
Chapter 4: Canonizing the Old Testament to the Reformation
Chapter 5: The Old Testament Canon in the Reformation Period
Chapter 6: Canonizing the New Testament

Part 3: Translation
Chapter 7: Early and Medieval Bible Translation
Chapter 8: English Bible Translation to the King James
Chapter 9: The English Bible after the King James

Conclusion
Appendix: Select Canon Lists
Glossary

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About the Authors

John Meade

John Meade (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a professor of Old Testament and a codirector of the Text & Canon Institute at Phoenix Seminary. He is the coauthor of The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity. He and his wife, Annie, have four children and are members at Camelback Bible Church.

Peter Gurry

Peter Gurry (PhD, University of Cambridge) is associate professor of New Testament and a codirector of the Text & Canon Institute at Phoenix Seminary. He is the coeditor of Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism. He and his wife, Kris, have six children and are members at Whitton Avenue Bible Church. 

Host the conference behind the book

The book is based on directors’ traveling conference on the history of the Bible designed especially for churches and college ministries. This series of talks will stretch, encourage, and inspire your group as they learn how we got the world’s most important book.

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Articles by the Authors

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    Paintings of Jerome and Augustine. Illustration by Peter Gurry and Josh Koch.
    Why Are Protestant and Catholic Bibles Different?

    Knowledge of the Bible’s history clears away the caricatures and misinformation swirling around this common question.

    John D. Meade

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  • Painting of Christ’s resurrection with Hebrew text overlaid
    Illustration by Josh Koch.
    Recovering the Resurrection in Isaiah 53: Textual Criticism and Easter

    The Bible’s textual integrity is better appreciated by patient study than by sensational discoveries

    John D. Meade

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  • Decoration from Luke 1 in Egerton MS 618 f.35v
    Detail at Luke 1 from the earliest datable copy of the complete Bible in English (14th c.). Egerton MS 618 (f. 35v)
    Five Decisions Every Bible Translator Must Make

    Knowing the hard decisions Bible translators face inspires gratitude for our Bibles and encourages us to read them.

    Peter J. Gurry

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    The stained glass window commemorating William Tyndale at Hertford College chapel. Source
    The Life and Legacy of William Tyndale

    Tyndale’s work to translate the Bible into English reminds us that the Bible has a history written in blood.

    Peter J. Gurry
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The Text & Canon Institute at Phoenix Seminary illuminates the history of the Bible through church resources, research, and mentoring.

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