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The World's Greatest Book: The Story of How the Bible Came to Be
Welcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world's greatest book -- the Bible.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, and dumb luck or divine intervention -- depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by and other people swear at? You don't have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the formation of the Bible, such
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time to put this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Retrace the passion and intrigue behind the Bible's creation.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, and dumb luck or divine intervention -- depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by and other people swear at? You don't have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the formation of the Bible, such
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time to put this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Retrace the passion and intrigue behind the Bible's creation.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2017
99 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 23, 2021
A really interesting look at the history of the Bible. Loved the blend of history, archaeology, and more.
January 18, 2018
This book was okay, but very brief and cursory. It's written for every possible audience, so a lot of its very few pages are taken up with Biblical explanation and backstory that most practicing Christians and Jews probably already know.
It seemed like it didn't trust you to be interested or continue reading unless it tried to make every stage of the Bible's history into some Indiana Jones adventure and threw in a lot of references and "but you WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED THEN" and "but that's NOTHING compared to WHAT'S NEXT" clickbait-style teasers at the end of every chapter.
Honestly, it reminded me of those books people re-write for teenagers that are exactly like the adult version except trying way too hard because teenagers' brains can only read 140 characters at a time, right? It also seemed to be not-so-subtly name-dropping the museum that published it a lot.
I wanted:
If you already know the top three Wikipedia facts about Moses, Martin Luther, the Vulgate, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Council of Nicaea, and Henry VIII, I would advise skipping this book and going for something a little more in-depth.
It seemed like it didn't trust you to be interested or continue reading unless it tried to make every stage of the Bible's history into some Indiana Jones adventure and threw in a lot of references and "but you WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED THEN" and "but that's NOTHING compared to WHAT'S NEXT" clickbait-style teasers at the end of every chapter.
Honestly, it reminded me of those books people re-write for teenagers that are exactly like the adult version except trying way too hard because teenagers' brains can only read 140 characters at a time, right? It also seemed to be not-so-subtly name-dropping the museum that published it a lot.
I wanted:
• More about the apocrypha!!!!!!!!!!! This ranks among a lot of people's, even Christians', top questions! The book explained about the different Bible compilations different denominations and church fathers have approved of, and listed five tests the early church used to evaluate supposedly-divine manuscripts, but that was about it.
What I want to know is: WHY. Why, using these five tests, did different early churches come up with different lists of divine books? What was their reasoning? What is the content of the book that is debated over? The World's Greatest Book talked about some Gnostic gospels, and other letters that claim to be of inspired origin, but "scholars believe were authored in the 3rd century."
Like, okay, but... why? Why do scholars believe that? Why did the early church not credit these books? Why did the early church dispute over whether 1, 2, 3 John were inspired? You can't just say "scholars believe" without saying why! You can't just tell me an apocryphal book's origins are shady and not tell me why.
• More about the "oral Torah" compiled in the Mishnah. This I had never heard of before, and I needed way more information about it than I received. Where did the idea of Moses's "oral law" alongside the written Law come from? What are these oral laws? How do they make it possible for Judaism to be practiced "more flexibly" in different circumstances? GIVE ME THE DETAILS YOU COWARDS.
If you already know the top three Wikipedia facts about Moses, Martin Luther, the Vulgate, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Council of Nicaea, and Henry VIII, I would advise skipping this book and going for something a little more in-depth.
January 14, 2024
Interesting book! Had never known anything about Jermone, Tyndale, Gutenberg, etc. I wish the book was a bit more systematic in how we got to know the Bible as it is today. I’d have appreciated more details on how the books of the New Testament were chosen, Old Testament books, etc. but still an interesting Saturday read
November 6, 2017
This is without question the greatest book on the greatest book I have ever read. Engaging, informative, up to date, and should be required reading for every seminary student. The writers give contemporary illustrations, making the book about the book a fun read. Please buy this book today!
April 13, 2025
A good read. It was well-researched, very informative, and written in a clear, readable fashion. My complaints were that it did jump unclearly sometimes from one Era to the next or even conceptually. Also, although quite easy to understand as a whole, there were assumptions made about the readers' knowledge and background that could not always be totally true for all.
March 26, 2024
This is a good primer on the subject. The authors intent was not to be too scholarly. The author had the ability to make you think and be entertained at the same time.
March 8, 2023
Nonsensical. As a Christian, I am researching how we got the Holy Bible. I am genuinely interested in how we got here. This book was all over the place. Hard to follow. Trying too hard to prove too much in a relatively short volume. Pick a topic and prove it already.
June 22, 2021
This is not a poorly written book. It's just inadequate.
I am not a Bible scholar. But I do know quite a bit about it, as well as Church history. I am familiar with biblical forgeries, mistranslations, and the like. Sadly, this book seems more interested in delving into the archeology behind famous manuscripts rather than providing a comprehensive history of how we got the most prevalent versions of the bible today.
Simply put, this book is missing a substantial amount of information. There is no discussion of the apocrypha; when they were taken out of various versions of the bible and why, etc. There is no discussion of biblical forgeries, including those present within the bible itself. There is no discussion of extraneous documents and letters written by apostles, disciples, and so-called apostles. There is no discussion of the many incredulous mistranslations of letters and documents. There is no account of the innumerable mistranslations and errors made by scribes (beyond the highly amusing errored bibles such as the "Fool's Bible). The authors even conveniently forget to note that the KJV was translated not from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Coptic, but from existing English, German, French, and Latin bibles. There is no discussion even of how the New and Old Testaments were assembled; how scholars and bishops decided throughout the centuries, or most importantly in the 4th century, to assemble and order the various letters and accounts. How did we actually get the books of the New Testament? Who really wrote them? Who decided to order them Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.? Who decided to leave out certain epistles and gospels? How was that decided? How was it decided that certain Revelations, such as that of John of Patmos, were included but not others such as the Revelation of Daniel or Peter?
None of these questions are answered by the authors of this book. Without these questions answered, or at least attempts made to answer these questions, how can you tell the story of how the Bible came to be?
As an amateur historian, some of the character depictions were downright exhausting (James Stuart, Mary Tudor, Henry VIII, the absence of discussion regarding Elizabeth I). This book seems torn between a Jewish and Puritan perspective on the bible and its history; unfortunately these views are presented almost irreconcilably rather than interconnected facets of bible history.
tdlr: if you want to know the history of the bible, don't read this book.
I am not a Bible scholar. But I do know quite a bit about it, as well as Church history. I am familiar with biblical forgeries, mistranslations, and the like. Sadly, this book seems more interested in delving into the archeology behind famous manuscripts rather than providing a comprehensive history of how we got the most prevalent versions of the bible today.
Simply put, this book is missing a substantial amount of information. There is no discussion of the apocrypha; when they were taken out of various versions of the bible and why, etc. There is no discussion of biblical forgeries, including those present within the bible itself. There is no discussion of extraneous documents and letters written by apostles, disciples, and so-called apostles. There is no discussion of the many incredulous mistranslations of letters and documents. There is no account of the innumerable mistranslations and errors made by scribes (beyond the highly amusing errored bibles such as the "Fool's Bible). The authors even conveniently forget to note that the KJV was translated not from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Coptic, but from existing English, German, French, and Latin bibles. There is no discussion even of how the New and Old Testaments were assembled; how scholars and bishops decided throughout the centuries, or most importantly in the 4th century, to assemble and order the various letters and accounts. How did we actually get the books of the New Testament? Who really wrote them? Who decided to order them Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.? Who decided to leave out certain epistles and gospels? How was that decided? How was it decided that certain Revelations, such as that of John of Patmos, were included but not others such as the Revelation of Daniel or Peter?
None of these questions are answered by the authors of this book. Without these questions answered, or at least attempts made to answer these questions, how can you tell the story of how the Bible came to be?
As an amateur historian, some of the character depictions were downright exhausting (James Stuart, Mary Tudor, Henry VIII, the absence of discussion regarding Elizabeth I). This book seems torn between a Jewish and Puritan perspective on the bible and its history; unfortunately these views are presented almost irreconcilably rather than interconnected facets of bible history.
tdlr: if you want to know the history of the bible, don't read this book.
August 29, 2021
I enjoyed this book a lot. Very informative with interesting details! It sticks to the history of how the Bible came to be and does not become a book about the pros and cons of any particular religion. There are some amazing people that devoted their lives and died standing up for what they truly believed in. Well-written so that the average layman can appreciate and understand. It would be a great gift for any occasion or a nice addition to your church library to share with other members.
Welcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world's greatest book -- the Bible.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of everything: adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, and dumb luck or divine intervention -- depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by and other people swear at? You don't have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the formation of the Bible, such as:
Who wrote these documents and when?
How were these ancient writings transmitted through the ages?
As scribes made copies of copies, didn't they make mistakes that caused the ancient writings to be changed and corrupted?
How was it decided which writings would be included in the Bible?
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are archaeological finds like these such a big deal?
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time to put this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Retrace the passion and intrigue behind the Bible's creation.
Welcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world's greatest book -- the Bible.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of everything: adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, and dumb luck or divine intervention -- depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by and other people swear at? You don't have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the formation of the Bible, such as:
Who wrote these documents and when?
How were these ancient writings transmitted through the ages?
As scribes made copies of copies, didn't they make mistakes that caused the ancient writings to be changed and corrupted?
How was it decided which writings would be included in the Bible?
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are archaeological finds like these such a big deal?
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time to put this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Retrace the passion and intrigue behind the Bible's creation.
November 23, 2017
Pattengale (a founder of Museum of the Bible) and Schiffman (a leading Jewish scholar) write in this short volume the history of the Bible. Because of the brevity of the book, they include only the more action packed stories about various manuscripts and translations. They don't get into the nitty gritty of why some books were included in the canon and others were not. I would have especially liked to understand better why and when Protestants removed the deuterocanonical books from the Bible, but the authors only give a cursory mention of this. It seems like that would be high on the list for understanding how the Bible was put together, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that an Evangelical wouldn't care to write about it.
March 5, 2019
Provided me with pretty much what I wanted. How the records were kept, where they originated, how they came to be considered scripture. Covered the different translations. Covered important English language translations, the revolution of the printing press. Covered the different definitions of the Bible, as different religions include/exclude different books.
Well-written and a pretty easy read. Again, it was just what I was hoping for.
Well-written and a pretty easy read. Again, it was just what I was hoping for.
September 30, 2025
very good reading, I learned a lot
When I first saw a description of the book, I was afraid it would be a heavy, dense, academic work. Not so, this is a easy read and understand book that takes you through an amazing story of how the modern Bible came to be. It covers the research, archaeology and detective work done to find and organize material from a variety of sources into what we have today. It's an enjoyable read, and that pleasantly surprised me. Highly recommend.
When I first saw a description of the book, I was afraid it would be a heavy, dense, academic work. Not so, this is a easy read and understand book that takes you through an amazing story of how the modern Bible came to be. It covers the research, archaeology and detective work done to find and organize material from a variety of sources into what we have today. It's an enjoyable read, and that pleasantly surprised me. Highly recommend.
November 30, 2025
It is definitely written for beginners (like me). That’s why I loved it and recommend it. It was very easy to follow, with the right amount for information for someone starting to research about the topic, and overall interesting. Some people may not like the novelistic/dramatic-style of it, it is true the author is trying a lot to make it “interesting”, but even so, I think it fulfilled its purposed.
September 7, 2023
A truly enjoyable read. I have read many books on the Bible and in particular how we got the Bible. It is anything but boring and often reads like an adventure novel. Well done to the author for writing this book that everyone can read! May it encourage many to read what the author calls the World's Greatest Book!
November 20, 2023
Eh, this book does not really tell the story of how we got the Bible. It tells some stories about how various discoveries were made, along with some real cursory handlings of text, canon, and translation. Reads more like a crypto ad for the Museum of the Bible. Very simplistic at times with some suppositions that are presented as fact.
December 24, 2018
A pleasant mix of 101 level insight into the Bible, tied into 400-level history. Not quite the deep dive I hoped for, but covering 2000+ years in 300 pages isn’t easy. Wonderful read, full of valuable orientation to Bible development history
January 10, 2022
Great introduction to the history and archeological
background to biblical discoveries. Enjoyed reading this though was patchy in places particularly around Jerome. Has whetted my appetite to look into this fascinating subject in more detail.
background to biblical discoveries. Enjoyed reading this though was patchy in places particularly around Jerome. Has whetted my appetite to look into this fascinating subject in more detail.
September 23, 2022
The Book of Books
A fascinating read! I could hardly put it down! It's well written and very entertaining. At times humorous. But most important, there is much to learn about the
history of the Bible. This is a must read for all students of the Bible.
A fascinating read! I could hardly put it down! It's well written and very entertaining. At times humorous. But most important, there is much to learn about the
history of the Bible. This is a must read for all students of the Bible.
April 26, 2023
I've read multiple excellent books on the transmission and compilation of the Bible, and this work by Schiffman and Pattengale is an excellent addition to that corpus. Written from both a Jewish and Christian perspective.
July 29, 2024
It took some time for me to get thru this book. You have to be truly interested in this topic, I was just vey curious. I’ve read a few books in between reading this book. I can say it wasn’t too bad, I can say it isn’t for everyone.
September 23, 2019
Great introduction to the historic of the bible and the dead sea scrolls and other manuscripts. Very interesting read.
December 24, 2021
Fascinating history and easy to read. Not academic, just the story of how we got the Bible we have today. Not a theology book, but fun history.
February 9, 2022
Learned a lot about the Bible. Fascinating history of how the Bible was formed by different peoples and languages into the different books we read and love today.
June 28, 2022
Great book!
Read
December 29, 2022Very good
February 10, 2024
I liked how they used a variety of researchers of different backgrounds.
July 7, 2024
Interesting overview of both the canonization of scripture and archaeological scroll discoveries throughout history.
January 7, 2025
Simple, easy to read history of the Bible and how it came to be from the beginning to what we hold in our hands now.
October 1, 2025
Hard for me to understand. Love all the research & historical facts.
July 19, 2024
This book is a history of how the bible came to be.
"The story you are about to read has many twists and turns, heroes, and heroines, and exciting episodes of confrontation and intrigue. Throughout, our story is propelled by generations of devoted scholars, who have worked to transmit the "world's greatest book" throughout the generations from antiquity to modern times." (from the preface)
the preface set the stage for this book and you will be surprised by what you read and how we are able today to have a written word of God affordable to the rich and the poor. This was not always the case in the first printed word of God.
they also try to separate the myths from the facts.
stories that we heard how some were facts and some that was made up. It has an interesting history of how some older Bibles disappeared and no one knows what happened to them.
I will share the Product Description it explains it better than I can.
"Product Description
Welcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world’s greatest book—the Bible.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of everything: adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, history and romance, and dumb luck or divine intervention—depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by—and other people swear at?
You don’t have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the making of the Bible, one of the world’s most loved and loathed books:
What’s so great about the Bible?
Why are there different versions of the Bible?
How has this controversial book remained relevant through the ages?
Who wrote these books and when?
As scribes made copies of copies, didn’t they make mistakes that caused the ancient writings to be changed and corrupted?
How was it decided which writings would be included in the Bible?
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are archeological finds like these a big deal?
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time, putting this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Let this book deepen your engagement with God’s Word as you retrace the passion and intrigue behind the origin of the Bible."(https://www.christianbook.com/worlds-...)
I learned quite a bit and some things I knew and some I didn't know from my learning and studies about the Bible. It is a lifelong study for I always find things I didn't know before. I love studying and learning about the word of God and how it applies to my life. At the age of 63, I am still learning and living about what our Saviour has in store for our lives.
"The story you are about to read has many twists and turns, heroes, and heroines, and exciting episodes of confrontation and intrigue. Throughout, our story is propelled by generations of devoted scholars, who have worked to transmit the "world's greatest book" throughout the generations from antiquity to modern times." (from the preface)
the preface set the stage for this book and you will be surprised by what you read and how we are able today to have a written word of God affordable to the rich and the poor. This was not always the case in the first printed word of God.
they also try to separate the myths from the facts.
stories that we heard how some were facts and some that was made up. It has an interesting history of how some older Bibles disappeared and no one knows what happened to them.
I will share the Product Description it explains it better than I can.
"Product Description
Welcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world’s greatest book—the Bible.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of everything: adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, history and romance, and dumb luck or divine intervention—depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by—and other people swear at?
You don’t have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the making of the Bible, one of the world’s most loved and loathed books:
What’s so great about the Bible?
Why are there different versions of the Bible?
How has this controversial book remained relevant through the ages?
Who wrote these books and when?
As scribes made copies of copies, didn’t they make mistakes that caused the ancient writings to be changed and corrupted?
How was it decided which writings would be included in the Bible?
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are archeological finds like these a big deal?
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time, putting this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Let this book deepen your engagement with God’s Word as you retrace the passion and intrigue behind the origin of the Bible."(https://www.christianbook.com/worlds-...)
I learned quite a bit and some things I knew and some I didn't know from my learning and studies about the Bible. It is a lifelong study for I always find things I didn't know before. I love studying and learning about the word of God and how it applies to my life. At the age of 63, I am still learning and living about what our Saviour has in store for our lives.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews