In this startling reinterpretation of biblical history, a leading
scholar shows how the Bible became the sacred text it is today In
this sweeping narrative, Michael Satlow tells the fascinating story
of how an ancient collection of obscure Israelite writings became
the founding texts of both Judaism and Christianity, considered
holy by followers of each faith. Drawing on cutting-edge historical
and archeological research, he traces the story of how, when, and
why Jews and Christians gradually granted authority to texts that
had long lay dormant in a dusty temple archive. The Bible, Satlow
maintains, was not the consecrated book it is now until quite late
in its history. He describes how elite scribes in the eighth and
seventh centuries B.C.E. began the process that led to the creation
of several of our biblical texts. It was not until these were
translated into Greek in Egypt in the second century B.C.E.,
however, that some Jews began to see them as culturally
authoritative, comparable to Homer's works in contemporary Greek
society. Then, in the first century B.C.E. in Israel, political
machinations resulted in the Sadducees assigning legal power to the
writings. We see how the world Jesus was born into was largely
biblically illiterate and how he knew very little about the texts
upon which his apostles would base his spiritual leadership.
Synthesizing an enormous body of scholarly work, Satlow's
groundbreaking study offers provocative new assertions about
commonly accepted interpretations of biblical history as well as a
unique window into how two of the world's great faiths came into
being.
General
Imprint: |
Yale University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2015 |
Authors: |
Michael L. Satlow
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 27mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
368 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-300-17192-1 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-300-17192-7 |
Barcode: |
9780300171921 |
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