Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 12:1 (Spring 2021)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

STR 12:1 (Spring 2021) p. 129

Book Reviews

John Barton. A History of the Bible: The Story of the World’s Most Influential Book. New York: Viking Press, 2019. xxii + 613 pp. Hardback. ISBN 978–0525428770. $20.00.

John Barton is the Oriel and Laing Emeritus Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at Oxford University in England. He is an established Old Testament theologian, interpreter, and Hebrew textual critic and is best known for his works Reading the Old Testament and Holy Writings, Sacred Texts.

His book, A History of the Bible, seeks to “tell the story of the Bible from its remote beginnings in folklore and myth to its reception and interpretation in the present day. It describes the Bible’s genesis, transmission, and dissemination, and shows how it has been read and used from antiquity to the present” (p. 1). Given this statement, the first two parts of the book focus on the content and history contained within the Old and New Testaments, respectively. These parts also include the history of how each biblical book came into being.

Part 3 of this work focuses on the Bible as a text and covers how it moved from esteemed writings to revered Scripture. The final portion of the book is devoted to how Jews and Christians have read the Old Testament throughout history, and how Christians have read the New Testament. The primary audience of this book, though not explicitly stated, would be introductory level students. Most of the content of the book should already be known to scholars in biblical studies.

The work in its entirety is an excellent introduction to the study of the Bible. Any reader completing this volume will be aware of most of the major issues related to biblical studies. The breadth of the work, from historical, textual, and theological perspectives, makes it an invaluable source for beginners. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is Barton’s inclusion of reading traditions alongside the biblical material. This is not normally covered in a survey of Old or New Testaments.

Despite these positives, the book provides incomplete data for some claims. Two examples will suffice to illustrate this—one major and one minor. The first item relates to the establishment of the New Testament (especially the Gospels) as Scripture on par with the Old Testament. Barton turns to Irenaeus as the major source for his conclusions on this. He states, “But for our present purposes a much more interesting fact about

STR 12:1 (Spring 2021) p. 130

Irenaeus’ treatment of the Gospels is that he does not regard them as Scripture, as he does the Old Testament, but as historical sources for the life and teaching of Jesus” (p. 241). He goes on to ...