How We Got the Bible 1: books
Welcome visitors! In order to provide material for a Bible class I will be starting soon, I will be providing
some basic material here.
The first matter is books. Although I will not be able to cover every angle of discussion in the class, this
site will supplement some of the material for further reading and studying on how we got the Bible — that is, the history of the Bible, how it was passed down through the centuries.
Here are a few books to recommend for those who are just starting to study this topic. Feel free to click on the links to Amazon if you are thinking about purchasing (or you can search other online bookstores, too):
- Neil Lightfoot, How We Got the Bible. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. * This is a useful book for introducing someone to the subject in general.
- F. F. Bruce, History of the Bible in English. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford, 1978. * This is out of print, but there are several used copies at cheap prices. Useful survey of the history of the Bible in English translations, starting with John Wycliffe up to translations in the 1970s. This gives a basic understanding of the journey of English translations throughout the centuries.
- Paul D. Wegner, The Journey from Texts to Translations. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999/2004. * Useful book for the history of the text. A bit more technical, packed with information, but still it is a good read. It is also packed with pictures of manuscripts and printed Bibles.
- Jack P. Lewis, The English Bible: from KJV to NIV. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991. * This book is out of print and may be hard to find. Useful survey for the history and evaluation of English translations. Dr. Lewis’ work is very good. I had the privilege of taking his graduate course on the History of the English Bible at Harding Graduate School in Memphis. Although it is a bit outdated now, I highly recommend this tool.
- Bruce M. Metzger, The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. Any work by Metzger is highly recommended. This book surveys, like the title says, ancient and English versions of the Bible.
There are many other books I could recommend, but this list should be good enough to dive into the subject for those who haven’t studied it before. Not required, but recommended!
Check back for more posts. I will be posting more basic information about the class, including supplemental material and web links.
You’re welcomed to leave a comment — see below!
