A History of the Bible: The Book & Its Faiths

johnbarton-nocredit-20190409162603128_web Honored to talk with Dr. John Barton about his latest book “A History of the Bible: The Story of the World’s Most Influential Book” this week. In this interview series, we learn from Dr. Barton about how the Bible was written, understood and passed along by different religious traditions.

You can subscribe or download these episodes on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe to the video series on YouTube.

Here’s a brief overview of each episode:

Part 1: Introduction to Biblical History

In part one, we talk with Dr. Barton about his purpose for researching and writing his latest book– and also discuss: why the Apocrypha is important, why there are disputes over the canon of scripture, how to deal with discrepancies in the Bible, some of the problems of Biblical authorship, differences between central doctrines of the Bible and essential doctrines in churches, and where to get started reading the Bible.

Listen to part one:

Part 2: Dealing with Discrepancies

In part two, we chat with Dr. Barton about ways to understand discrepancies in the Gospel accounts, how to deal with obscure and upsetting texts, how to find trustworthy Biblical research, and how to know what we can trust in the Bible.

Listen to part two:

To keep up with this weekly podcast series featuring academics, educators and religious leaders from different traditions discussing ways to understand the Bible, you can subscribe on Instagram, Twitter or get videos of the interviews on YouTube. Reach out with any suggestions for authors to feature, topics to discuss and share your thoughts on an episode.

Here is more information about his latest book:

In “A History of the Bible,” Dr. John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion.

Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be read in its historical context–from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries.

Dr. John Barton

Dr. John Barton is Emeritus Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture in the University of Oxford, an Emeritus Fellow of Oriel and St Cross Colleges, and a Senior Research Fellow at Campion Hall, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Among his publications are Reading the Old Testament (1984, several subsequent editions), The Nature of Biblical Criticism (2007), Ethics in Ancient Israel (2014), and most recently The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Companion (2016). He has also written several popular books on the Bible, but A History of the Bible, published by Penguin in 2019, is his first trade book.

He is joint editor of the Oxford Bible Commentary, and editor-in-chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. His books deal with the interpretation of the Bible, how it came together and became authoritative in Judaism and in the Church, and its theological and ethical themes—concentrating especially on the Old Testament. He is a priest in the Church of England, and has represented Oxford clergy on the Church’s General Synod.

And here are video interviews:

Part 1: