The Origin of the Bible: A Guide for the Perplexed

by Lee Martin McDonald

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 2011

Overview

The Origin of the Bible: A Guide for the Perplexed introduces the reader to the often perplexing issue of the Bible’s origin and how the different texts were received. This important topic is dealt with especially in light of the discoveries of significant ancient texts that were not included in the Bible. These previously unknown extra-biblical texts raise questions about the nature and formation of the Bible. Why were some books included and others excluded? Why were some included initially and subsequently rejected? Was there a church cover-up? This volume addresses these and related questions in an accessible and thorough manner.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Introduces the reader to the issue of the Bible’s origin
• Discusses how the different biblical texts were received
• Addresses why some books were included in the canon while others were excluded

Contents

• Introduction and Preliminary Observations
• An Overview of the Story
• The Emergence of an Old Testament Canon
• The Completion of the Old Testament Canon
• The Emergence of Christian Scriptures
• The Influence of “Heresy” and “Orthodoxy” on Canon Formation
• Fixing the New Testament Canon
• Final Comment

Top Highlights

“The basic properties of ‘scripture’ for ancient Judaism and Christianity included at least four essential ingredients, namely, scripture is a written document believed to have a divine origin that faithfully communicates the truth and will of God for a believing community, and it provides a source of regulations for the corporate and individual life of religious people.” (Page 12)

“Scripture specifically has to do with the divine status of a written book whereas a scriptural canon is a fixed collection of sacred writings that defines the faith and identity of religious communities. In this sense, while all scripture has a certain divine authority, a biblical canon is a fixed collection of divinely inspired scriptures that constitutes the complete defining authority for a religious body.” (Page 13)

“What makes it difficult to believe that the sacred books in the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament were in a fixed collection long before the time of Jesus is that a large collection of other Jewish religious texts were produced mostly in the second and first centuries BCE in the Land of Israel and they were welcomed as sacred writings both by Jews and later by Christians in the first century and later. If there was a closed biblical canon present in Israel before the time of Jesus and accepted by the majority of Jews, how could more sacred texts emerge and find acceptance among the Jews in the first centuries BCE and CE?” (Page 54)

“Some pseudepigraphal writings were widely accepted as sacred scripture by some early Christians up to the mid-third century CE (especially 1 Enoch, Psalms of Solomon, and Testaments of the Patriarchs). The most popular of the apocryphal or Deuterocanonical books included the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), the Wisdom of Solomon, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, but others also such as Tobit, Judith, and Baruch.” (Pages 30–31)

Praise for the Print Edition

Lee McDonald is widely perceived to be in the front ranks of specialists on the origin of the Bible and the evolution of the canon. In this book, in a lucid engaging fashion, McDonald guides those who are perplexed about such origins . . . It is superb for classes. I recommend it enthusiastically.

—J. H. Charlesworth, George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary

In this Guide for the Perplexed, Lee McDonald has unraveled the intricacies of canon research for the scholar, student, and interested public. Writing in a bracingly accessible style, McDonald clarifies how the Christian Bible of the Old and New Testaments came to be formed and finally fixed. Including numerous extracts from primary sources, McDonald achieves the near impossible in discussing texts ranging from the Hebrew Bible to patristic literature.

—Timothy H. Lim, reader in Hebrew and Old Testament studies, University of Edinburgh

Professor Lee McDonald is an expert in the field of the history of the biblical canon. His contribution to the Guides for the Perplexed series is a helpful summary of what can be gathered from the often scattered remarks in the ancient sources. One of the strengths of the book is that it quotes most of the relevant sources at length . . . His own reconstruction of the origin of the Bible is well argued, clear, and readable. Yet the author honestly warns the reader that there remain open questions, and there are areas in this history where other reconstructions may still be possible.

—Péter Balla, head of the New Testament department, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary

Product Details

• Title: The Origin of the Bible: A Guide for the Perplexed
• Author: Lee Martin McDonald
• Series: Guides for the Perplexed
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible › Canon
• ISBNs: 9780567178022, 9780567139320, 0567178021, 0567139328
• Resource ID: LLS:ORIGINBIBLEMCDONALD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:32:40Z

About Lee Martin McDonald

Lee Martin McDonald is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament Studies at Acadia Divinity College and past President of the Institute for Biblical Research. He is the author or editor of over thirty books and more than 160 articles and essays and writes extensively on canon formation, including The Canon Debate; The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority; Formation of the Bible: The Story of the Church’s Canon; The Origin of the Bible: A Guide for the Perplexed; and The Story of Jesus in History and Faith: A Introduction. He also coedited with James Charlesworth Jewish and Christian Scriptures: The Function of “Canonical” and “Non-Canonical” Religious Texts and coedited with Joel B. Green The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. He has lectured widely in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.