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Illuminating the History of the Bible

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Discover the incredible story of the Bible

Two-time finalist for 2023 annual book awards

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 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the coauthor of The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity. He and his wife, Annie, have four children.

Peter Gurry

Peter Gurry (PhD, University of Cambridge) is associate professor of New Testament and a codirector of the Text & Canon Institute at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the coeditor of Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism. He and his wife, Kris, have six children. 

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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  • An illustration of Jerome and Augustine
    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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  • The Jewish revisers.
    Illustration by Jordan Daniel Singer
    The Legacy of the First Revised Bible Translations

    The modern impulse to get the Bible right in translation has its roots in the Jews who revised the Septuagint.

    John D. Meade

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  • William Tyndale stained glass
    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 word ‘variants’ spelled in metal printer’s type
    Illustration by Peter Gurry. Image from 123rf.com
    Two Reasons There Are Variants in Our Copies of the Bible

    For historical and theological reasons, we shouldn’t be surprised that the Bible’s manuscripts have differences.

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

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