Whose Bible Is It? - by Jaroslav Pelikan (Paperback)

About the Book

A distinguished historian provides a clear and engaging account of the Bible's journey from oral narrative to Hebrew and Greek text to today's countless editions. He traces the evolution of the Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic versions, and the various schools of critical scholarship.

Book Synopsis

Jaroslav Pelikan, widely regarded as one of the most distinguished historians of our day, now provides a clear and engaging account of the Bible's journey from oral narrative to Hebrew and Greek text to today's countless editions. Pelikan explores the evolution of the Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic versions and the development of the printing press and its effect on the Reformation, the translation into modern languages, and varying schools of critical scholarship. Whose Bible Is It? is a triumph of scholarship that is also a pleasure to read.

Review Quotes

"A crisp, remarkably succinct history of the Bible as preserved, interpreted, translated and canonized by the various faiths that believe in it." --Los Angeles Times

"Engaging . . . an excellent overview." --The New York Times Book Review

"Outstanding . . . Pelikan takes the reader through the process of scripture building with a fluency and ease that is both accessible and understandable." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Masterly . . . Pelikan weaves a tapestry of the power of the Word to mold religious communities, nations, and culture. . . . Engaging, concise, and highly readable." --The Christian Science Monitor

About the Author

Jaroslav Pelikan is Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University and past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His many books include the five-volume The Christian Tradition, Jesus Through the Centuries, and Mary Through the Centuries. He has received the Thomas Jefferson Medal of the National Endowment for the Humanities and an honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America as well as forty-one other honorary degrees.