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The Origin of the Bible
Many books have been written about the Bible, but few explain its origins. This volume provides a fascinating overview of how the Bible was first inspired, canonized, read as sacred literature, copied in ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, and eventually translated into the languages of the world. No other one-volume work can match this wealth of information about the historical development of the Bible.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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472 people want to read
About the author
F.F. Bruce
252 books134 followersFrederick Fyvie Bruce FBA was a Biblical scholar who supported the historical reliability of the New Testament. His first book, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (1943), was voted by the American evangelical periodical Christianity Today in 2006 as one of the top 50 books "which had shaped evangelicals".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 7, 2018
الكتاب شديد الجفاف، مع أن موضوعه يفترض أن يكون شيقا جدا. وهناك الكثير من المعلومات المكدسة مع تكرار للكثير منها في أكثر من موضع، ربما لأن الكتاب يتكون من مقالات طويلة من عمل عدة مؤلفين مختلفين.
هناك الكثير من الكلام الإنشائي، ويبدو وكأن بعض المتخصصين في موضوع معين أرادوا استعراض معلوماتهم فأضافوا الكثير من التفاصيل غير الضرورية: مثلا عن مواصفات الأشكال المختلفة للأدب. وكان ذلك في رأيي على حساب موضوع الكتاب الأصلي، فليس هناك مثلا توضيح كافي للسبب الذي من أجله تعتبر بعض الأسفار قانونية وبعضها الآخر "أبوكريفا" أي غير قانونية، أو عن ظروف وتاريخ كتابة أسفار الكتاب المقدس أو حتى بعضها.
يمكن تسمية هذا الكتاب : قصة تدوين ومخطوطات وطبعات وترجمات الكتاب المقدس.
هناك الكثير من الكلام الإنشائي، ويبدو وكأن بعض المتخصصين في موضوع معين أرادوا استعراض معلوماتهم فأضافوا الكثير من التفاصيل غير الضرورية: مثلا عن مواصفات الأشكال المختلفة للأدب. وكان ذلك في رأيي على حساب موضوع الكتاب الأصلي، فليس هناك مثلا توضيح كافي للسبب الذي من أجله تعتبر بعض الأسفار قانونية وبعضها الآخر "أبوكريفا" أي غير قانونية، أو عن ظروف وتاريخ كتابة أسفار الكتاب المقدس أو حتى بعضها.
يمكن تسمية هذا الكتاب : قصة تدوين ومخطوطات وطبعات وترجمات الكتاب المقدس.
July 31, 2016
Origin of the Bible is a compilation of essays by numerous scholars addressing their particular field of expertise. Obviously, as with any compilation, some were better than others. I actually ended up getting a little less of what I specifically picked up the book for—a linear as possible history of how the individual books of the Bible became recognized as canon—and a little more of a lot of topics I was not on the front end interested in. In the end, I did walk away with a more holistic understanding of the Bible and all the intricate disciplines and fields that make in part make it what it is. Some chapters are dry and heady, but if you are looking for a good introduction into all things Bible, and are not easily put to sleep by reading, this is a good book for you.
July 25, 2022
I was honestly rather disappointed by this book. The chapters are of quite varied quality due to the multiple contributors. A major factor in my disappointment was the lack of footnotes, making jumping off points for further research difficult, while a number of the chapters spoke in far too many generalities.
The chapters on canon were particularly disappointing (far too brief and general), while some seemed too focused on subjects other than the one at hand. The two chapters on the text of Scripture were well done, and I also found the chapter on the history of the Bible to be quite good as well.
This book would suffice for an introduction, but I would not lean on it as a main source of information.
The chapters on canon were particularly disappointing (far too brief and general), while some seemed too focused on subjects other than the one at hand. The two chapters on the text of Scripture were well done, and I also found the chapter on the history of the Bible to be quite good as well.
This book would suffice for an introduction, but I would not lean on it as a main source of information.
May 27, 2025
Waaayy too many authors to cover wayyy too many topics. It was like drinking out of a firehouse, thankfully the firehouse did have some electrolytes in it so it was still kind of worth it.
It would also maybe help if I had read this not over the course of 9 months
It would also maybe help if I had read this not over the course of 9 months
February 17, 2023
Wow . . . I finished it. Holy Moly. I finished this book. I read it.
This is an incredible book. The information is absolutely amazing, and I am smarter for having read it. My brain hurt after sections, and I could only read a few pages, maybe a section at a time, but I did it and it was totally worth it!
This thing is a slog. Huge chunks are incredibly dense and difficult to understand. There is no possible way I could write a summary, and hopefully my notes in the book will help me find and recognize the information should I ever need it.
Some sections are better than others, some essays easier to read than others. Some are like trying to decipher a second language, some are like having a conversation with someone over a nice meal.
The information is absolutely fantastic. Wonderful, although some of it is more helpful than others, it depends on what you are looking for.
It is because of my seminary training, I have become far more of a KJ guy than I ever thought I would, but I do disagree with one overarching theme that came from the end of the book talking about manuscripts. It is a huge assumption to believe that just because a manuscript is older means it is better. It is a huge assumption to believe that just because a text is shorter means it is more accurate. For scholars to have disregarded thousands of manuscripts (the popular text) in favor of a single older manuscript (Vaticanus) is hard to swallow. I would have to disagree; God had allowed the popular text to flourish, to be out in the world, and to be the text that people were reading and using for hundreds of years. They threw that away because some other manuscript is older.
Also, I would disagree with some of the comments in the different English Bibles section (one of my favorite sections by far). Again, my Baptist Seminary is coming through, but the Bible says that it is God Breathed, Jesus used the terms jot and tittle referring to even the most minor of pen strokes. I do not know Greek nor Hebrew, but Dynamic Equivalence hurts the idea of Plenary Inspiration. Is it impossible to create a word for word translation from Greek and Hebrew into English, yes, it would be an unreadable mess if such a thing were even attempted, but any translation should seek to be as accurate in word-for-word translation as possible.
The author had worked for Tyndale, and had helped create the NLT, so he was a little biased towards that translation. I'm not sure a full-fledged translation argument is warranted, but some translations are better than others and I would be more wary of Dynamic Equivalence than this author was.
All that being said, the differences between standard English translations are fairly minor. We are arguing over single words (young woman v. virgin, one and only God v. one and only Christ) it can and does matter, but most of these are issues that a non-Bible scholar would never even notice. I was far more concerned with the gender-inclusive language the author just takes for granted. That seems like a large scale change of God's Word just to appease a liberal audience for some sort of political agenda.
This is well worth the time and effort, but it is a difficult read.
This is an incredible book. The information is absolutely amazing, and I am smarter for having read it. My brain hurt after sections, and I could only read a few pages, maybe a section at a time, but I did it and it was totally worth it!
This thing is a slog. Huge chunks are incredibly dense and difficult to understand. There is no possible way I could write a summary, and hopefully my notes in the book will help me find and recognize the information should I ever need it.
Some sections are better than others, some essays easier to read than others. Some are like trying to decipher a second language, some are like having a conversation with someone over a nice meal.
The information is absolutely fantastic. Wonderful, although some of it is more helpful than others, it depends on what you are looking for.
It is because of my seminary training, I have become far more of a KJ guy than I ever thought I would, but I do disagree with one overarching theme that came from the end of the book talking about manuscripts. It is a huge assumption to believe that just because a manuscript is older means it is better. It is a huge assumption to believe that just because a text is shorter means it is more accurate. For scholars to have disregarded thousands of manuscripts (the popular text) in favor of a single older manuscript (Vaticanus) is hard to swallow. I would have to disagree; God had allowed the popular text to flourish, to be out in the world, and to be the text that people were reading and using for hundreds of years. They threw that away because some other manuscript is older.
Also, I would disagree with some of the comments in the different English Bibles section (one of my favorite sections by far). Again, my Baptist Seminary is coming through, but the Bible says that it is God Breathed, Jesus used the terms jot and tittle referring to even the most minor of pen strokes. I do not know Greek nor Hebrew, but Dynamic Equivalence hurts the idea of Plenary Inspiration. Is it impossible to create a word for word translation from Greek and Hebrew into English, yes, it would be an unreadable mess if such a thing were even attempted, but any translation should seek to be as accurate in word-for-word translation as possible.
The author had worked for Tyndale, and had helped create the NLT, so he was a little biased towards that translation. I'm not sure a full-fledged translation argument is warranted, but some translations are better than others and I would be more wary of Dynamic Equivalence than this author was.
All that being said, the differences between standard English translations are fairly minor. We are arguing over single words (young woman v. virgin, one and only God v. one and only Christ) it can and does matter, but most of these are issues that a non-Bible scholar would never even notice. I was far more concerned with the gender-inclusive language the author just takes for granted. That seems like a large scale change of God's Word just to appease a liberal audience for some sort of political agenda.
This is well worth the time and effort, but it is a difficult read.
February 23, 2019
This book was so jam-packed full of well written and very thorough information that it made my brain smoke. (Okay, not literally. :)) There was so much information that I hope to go back through it someday soon and really pick it apart, piece by piece but for now, I have finished it. The book basically covered everything, from manuscripts of the Bible to how the Bible came to be, versions we have today and where they came from and some fascinating information about how some older manuscripts were discovered. It is difficult for me to review it other than, if you are looking for a good history of the Word of God and information about it, this book is a great place to start. A bunch of different authors, a bunch of different essays. I would recommend a quiet place to read and a notebook to go through it.
December 28, 2023
Este año me topé con dos libros que realmente sacudieron mi perspectiva: uno sobre historia y otro sobre historia cristiana.
"El Origen de la Biblia" resultó ser una herramienta valiosa para desentrañar la evolución de este texto sagrado. No solo desmiente mitos, sino que ofrece información lo más aproximada posible sobre su origen. Aunque no es una lectura ligera y tiende más hacia lo ensayístico que lo narrativo, con la contribución de varios expertos, ofrece una estructura casi cronológica o lógica (no podemos pedir precisión exacta), brindando una valiosa introducción para quienes buscan entender el trasfondo histórico de la Biblia.
Esta lectura ha transformado mi forma de ver la Biblia, no alterando su esencia, sino permitiéndome comprenderla mejor a través de un estudio más profundo, aprendiendo a leer el texto enriqueciéndolo con su contexto.
"El Origen de la Biblia" resultó ser una herramienta valiosa para desentrañar la evolución de este texto sagrado. No solo desmiente mitos, sino que ofrece información lo más aproximada posible sobre su origen. Aunque no es una lectura ligera y tiende más hacia lo ensayístico que lo narrativo, con la contribución de varios expertos, ofrece una estructura casi cronológica o lógica (no podemos pedir precisión exacta), brindando una valiosa introducción para quienes buscan entender el trasfondo histórico de la Biblia.
Esta lectura ha transformado mi forma de ver la Biblia, no alterando su esencia, sino permitiéndome comprenderla mejor a través de un estudio más profundo, aprendiendo a leer el texto enriqueciéndolo con su contexto.
November 21, 2019
A GREAT BOOK FOR ALL TRUTH SEEKERS
The book hE been designed to answer almost all the questions there is when it comes to How we got the Bible. As a minister of the gospel I find the material useful.
The book hE been designed to answer almost all the questions there is when it comes to How we got the Bible. As a minister of the gospel I find the material useful.
February 4, 2022
This book was a pretty tough cookie of a read, and not recomendad for light reading. It reads more like a textbook. However, if you have some seminary style questions and want to know more about the origin of the Holy Bible, than this is for you! I learned a lot reading this book.
December 24, 2024
This book is a collection of essays on the origins of the Bible we have today. I'd call it a good entry level survey. Plenty of good information to start your journey, not particularly in depth, but a great place to start.
November 20, 2016
Very informative and an enjoyable read. God has surely preserved His Word to us. Amazing! I would like to thank David Wood for introducing me to this book.
January 29, 2019
Lots of great information in the first couple sections.
May 1, 2019
A good book for new Christians who wants to know how the Bible came to be. God has really supernaturally kept and preserve His Word for mankind to be saved.
July 16, 2020
Loved it! Definitely boosted my faith in the word of God!
September 19, 2020
El libro está divido en artículos. Algunos son buenos, algunos son extensos y aburridos.
Read
August 19, 2024Good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2015
In 2011, the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible heightened interest in what was already the world's most widely-read book. The "Authorized Version" of the Bible racked up a lot of print coverage, including the cover of National Geographic magazine, and even had a few books written about how the Book came to be.
With the public focused on the origin of one translation of the Bible, it was good timing for Tyndale to reissue a book about the Bible's origin the following year. Originally published 20 years ago, The Origin of the Bible is a thorough overview of how the Bible came into existence and how it has come to us in the form that exists today.
In its 347 pages, the book covers a lot of territory. Its five separate sections tackle the roots of Biblical authority and inspiration, the formation of the Biblical canon, the literary qualities of the Bible, the ancient manuscripts and the methods of translation. An afterword by Philip Comfort, the Senior Editor of Tyndale’s Bible Department, presents a brief look at developments in the 20 years since its first publishing date.
The book’s biggest strength is the comprehensive list of topics it covers and the sheer amount of information it presents. Each section contains 2-4 articles from evangelical scholars and theologians diving into their particular area of expertise. The 15 articles provide a pretty complete picture of the origin, transmission and current existence of the Scriptures. And despite the sometimes dry nature in which the material is delivered, the book is surprisingly accessible to the average reader.
A compilation of this kind typically pursues diversity in one of two ways: theological tradition or topical expertise. In this case, the authors were clearly selected to fulfill the latter as they cover the wide variety of topics unified within the tradition of orthodox evangelicalism.
One of the more interesting sections of the book is on the variety of theories that have led to the many modern English translations of the Bible. The challenges of translating Hebrew (with its “vividness, conciseness and simplicity”, it’s lack of adjectives and abstract concepts) and Greek (with its abundant vocabulary and rich philosophical concepts) into English leaves many routes open to the translator, from (almost) word-for-word to paraphrase and everything in between.
But the book’s biggest strength is also its greatest weakness. Because it covers so many topics, it at times spreads itself too thin. The story of the King James Bible, about which one of the contributors - Leland Ryken - has written an entire book, is breezed over in two pages. Indeed, volumes have been written on every topic the book covers. In some cases enough information is provided to fill in that piece of the biblical puzzle, but in others there is barely enough to whet the reader’s appetite.
Furthermore, in the 3,000 year history of the Bible, one wouldn’t expect much new material in two decades, but enough has changed to outdate some of the book’s material. This is particularly the case with the Dead Sea Scrolls, where the politics surrounding their discovery and translation prevented them from playing as prominent a role as they would have were the book rewritten today rather than just reissued.
But the weaknesses of the book are easily overwhelmed by its strengths and anyone interested in an evangelical perspective on the origin and history of the Bible will learn much in these pages. On more than one occasion, the book cites the well-known passage in II Timothy 3: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” The Origin of the Bible is a work by those who clearly take that verse to heart.
With the public focused on the origin of one translation of the Bible, it was good timing for Tyndale to reissue a book about the Bible's origin the following year. Originally published 20 years ago, The Origin of the Bible is a thorough overview of how the Bible came into existence and how it has come to us in the form that exists today.
In its 347 pages, the book covers a lot of territory. Its five separate sections tackle the roots of Biblical authority and inspiration, the formation of the Biblical canon, the literary qualities of the Bible, the ancient manuscripts and the methods of translation. An afterword by Philip Comfort, the Senior Editor of Tyndale’s Bible Department, presents a brief look at developments in the 20 years since its first publishing date.
The book’s biggest strength is the comprehensive list of topics it covers and the sheer amount of information it presents. Each section contains 2-4 articles from evangelical scholars and theologians diving into their particular area of expertise. The 15 articles provide a pretty complete picture of the origin, transmission and current existence of the Scriptures. And despite the sometimes dry nature in which the material is delivered, the book is surprisingly accessible to the average reader.
A compilation of this kind typically pursues diversity in one of two ways: theological tradition or topical expertise. In this case, the authors were clearly selected to fulfill the latter as they cover the wide variety of topics unified within the tradition of orthodox evangelicalism.
One of the more interesting sections of the book is on the variety of theories that have led to the many modern English translations of the Bible. The challenges of translating Hebrew (with its “vividness, conciseness and simplicity”, it’s lack of adjectives and abstract concepts) and Greek (with its abundant vocabulary and rich philosophical concepts) into English leaves many routes open to the translator, from (almost) word-for-word to paraphrase and everything in between.
But the book’s biggest strength is also its greatest weakness. Because it covers so many topics, it at times spreads itself too thin. The story of the King James Bible, about which one of the contributors - Leland Ryken - has written an entire book, is breezed over in two pages. Indeed, volumes have been written on every topic the book covers. In some cases enough information is provided to fill in that piece of the biblical puzzle, but in others there is barely enough to whet the reader’s appetite.
Furthermore, in the 3,000 year history of the Bible, one wouldn’t expect much new material in two decades, but enough has changed to outdate some of the book’s material. This is particularly the case with the Dead Sea Scrolls, where the politics surrounding their discovery and translation prevented them from playing as prominent a role as they would have were the book rewritten today rather than just reissued.
But the weaknesses of the book are easily overwhelmed by its strengths and anyone interested in an evangelical perspective on the origin and history of the Bible will learn much in these pages. On more than one occasion, the book cites the well-known passage in II Timothy 3: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” The Origin of the Bible is a work by those who clearly take that verse to heart.
December 17, 2023
Origin et al.
A book's value may be judged by other books that it prompts you to read; and by that measure, The Origin of the Bible, edited by Philip W. Comfort, is a valuable contribution to anyone wishing to have a better understanding of the history of Christianity, and more specifically, how the Bible came into being.
Origin has an evangelical bent, and falls short of more scholarly texts; there are few if any footnotes or specific references (aside from general ones in the several bibliographies). The book is comprised of five sections: 1) The Authority and Inspiration of the Bible, 2) The Canon of the Bible, 3) the Bible as a Literary Text, 4) Bible Texts and Manuscripts, and 5) Bible Translation. While Comfort shows his bias in the first section, the others are good introductions to their subtopics, and hold value for readers interested in the development of the Bible, even in a disinterested academic sense.
October 17, 2013
One can hardly argue with the the scholarly contributors and well known theologians that aided in the process of writing this book. Even with such names as J.I Packer, and F.F. Bruce, on the front cover, I found this book to seriously be in want; of what I'm not quite sure, but something was definitely lacking.
Now of the substance, it was well researched, as always with such widely acclaimed theologians; nevertheless, the information presented here is easily attainable, and more readily presented in New Testement / Old Testament survey courses in friendlier tones. Although I did not disagree with the content of the book itself, save some of the source hypotheses concerning the evolution of certain NT gospels, this would not be the first book I would recommend to a layperson interested in the formation of the Bible.
Brent M. McCulley (10/17/13)
Now of the substance, it was well researched, as always with such widely acclaimed theologians; nevertheless, the information presented here is easily attainable, and more readily presented in New Testement / Old Testament survey courses in friendlier tones. Although I did not disagree with the content of the book itself, save some of the source hypotheses concerning the evolution of certain NT gospels, this would not be the first book I would recommend to a layperson interested in the formation of the Bible.
Brent M. McCulley (10/17/13)
December 27, 2023
These are notes in case I ever get around to writing a review. Obviously I think this is worth reading since I have read it twice in the last few years.
Really interesting book. Some of the things that caught my attention were the limitations of the ancient Hebrew language, and how the Masoretes in Tiberias standardized it around 800 a.d. – 1,000 a.d. This book really makes you think about translations.
Takes you through the development of what we now consider to be the standard text, both the OT and NT. Although the standard text is constantly being revised as we find older and older versions.
If you wonder how the Bible as we know it came to be, this book sheds alot of light on it.
Really interesting book. Some of the things that caught my attention were the limitations of the ancient Hebrew language, and how the Masoretes in Tiberias standardized it around 800 a.d. – 1,000 a.d. This book really makes you think about translations.
Takes you through the development of what we now consider to be the standard text, both the OT and NT. Although the standard text is constantly being revised as we find older and older versions.
If you wonder how the Bible as we know it came to be, this book sheds alot of light on it.
October 29, 2023
I have read the updated edition, which mainly contains information about new manuscript discoveries. The book is narrower in scope than A General Introduction to the Bible, but more in depth for each issue it covers. The book is very good background material on the historical development of the Bible, including the Bible in English and should be read by Bible study teachers and kept as a reference resource.
July 22, 2012
An interesting compilation of essays ranging from discussions of inerrancy and inspiration to various translations of the Bible. Some of the essays are extremely interesting, others are less interesting. All are purported to be scholarly works, but I personally found a number of them to be light reading, not addressing the depths of the questions at hand. It is however a book that is well worth the time to read it.
March 28, 2013
An updated Christian treatment of this important subject. I recommend it to all Jesus Followers, as well as others, who desire a better and deeper understanding, in plain English, about the only Holy Book of all world religions which says it is the words of God,The One & Only, to humankind.
Mr. Comfort includes Chapters on each of the the principle issues in dispute written by various respected evangelical scholars.
Enjoy!
GaryFPatton (gfp '42™)
Mr. Comfort includes Chapters on each of the the principle issues in dispute written by various respected evangelical scholars.
Enjoy!
GaryFPatton (gfp '42™)
February 3, 2015
Highly referential, rather than readable, it does a great job of explaining in depth how we can have faith in the Bible we read today. It explains the roots of The Bible from each culture and which versions of the Bible were used in translations to other languages. It even explores the complexity of translating from one language to another, and how difficult it is to capture the original meanings of the writer's original tongue. Highly recommend if you wonder how reliable our Bibles are today.
May 23, 2020
I honestly don't know who the target audience is. For readers unfamiliar with this sort of content, it is quite cursory and raises as much questions as answers. But it is too brief and rudimentary to be of much use those with a background in this type of scholarship. I fall in the former camp. While it was helpful at parts, overall, a frustrating read.
August 10, 2011
It is a long book to get through. I probably would have appreciated it better if I didn't have a reading deadline. Some of the articles are very boring and you start to read things already stated in previous articles. Was not fun to read.
January 3, 2012
I borrowed this on kindle so it expired before I finished it. So I can't comment about the end. Overall, I was not impressed. It just seems like it is fighting for an understanding of scripture that doesn't get us anywhere.
My slightly longer comments are on my blog http://bookwi.se/comfort/
My slightly longer comments are on my blog http://bookwi.se/comfort/
April 13, 2009
It's teaching a lot about how the more we learn about how humans put the Bible together, the more we realise it is nothing by God's work.
September 8, 2016
Sound, accessible, Evangelically-slanted introduction to the highly technical topic of Biblical textual criticism.
May 29, 2012
Any questions about how we have the Bible we have today, great book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews