DrDale

I'm hoping the more knowledgeable people in this forum may be able to help me decide on which books I should read to get a better understanding about the origins of the Bible.

I've already read Richard Carrier and Larry Taylors essay's on the origin of the bible on this site as well as the information on NTCanon.org. Far from quenching my thirst, they've made me more thirsty!

I've examined the reading list on BC&H as well as the books recommended in the above articles but the question is "which ones should I choose?". Ultimately I'm looking for an historical book covering both the OT and NT. I'm indifferent as to whether the author/s are religious or secular, but I want impartial analysis of accepted historical evidence. I should also state I do not speak any Greek, Latin or Hebrew.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


TIA

Julian

For the OT, I heartily recommend:

The Bible Unearthed

and

Who Wrote the Bible?

For the new testament, I would suggest a good introduction like one by Bart Ehrman, Helmut Koester or Raymand Brown. I have only read Koester's which is excellent but very, very dull. Anything by Ehrman is generally brilliant and I have some grudging respect for Brown and the Anchor Bible series.

Julian

RUmike

"The New Testament: A Student's Introduction" by Stephen Harris is what I used in a NT Intro class, which I highly recommend. Although you'd probably have to order it from Amazon; I've never seen it in stores. There is also an OT introduction by the same author, but I've never read it.