A History of the Bible

John Barton argues against treating the Bible as a single, internally consistent rulebook, tracing instead how its books were written, edited, selected, and translated across many centuries by different communities with different concerns. He covers the formation of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament canons, the role of translation in shaping doctrine, and the ways both Judaism and Christianity have related to a text that neither fully defines nor is fully defined by.

Barton contends that understanding this layered, human history should push readers away from rigid literalism and toward engaging with the Bible's broader meanings and internal tensions.