William Barclay testifies to the Bible's unique value as an inspired book and gives clear advice on the best way to read it. He tells how the biblical writings came into being and finally gained acceptance as Scripture. And he explains the significance and the status of the Apocrypha. Most important of all, William Barclay presents the Bible as a book to be read and enjoyed today - a light in the darkness of a world that has lost its way. Barclay's original text has been edited and revised by Professor John W. Rogerson, who has also written a new introduction. Rogerson is the head of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield and an authority on the Old Testament. This is a required text for "Lay Speakers Lead Bible Study: Advanced Course." (Abingdon Press, 1997) Table of Contents: Foreward by Ronnie Barclay Prayers for Bible Study Introduction by John Rogerson The Making of the Old Testament The Making of the New Testament The Apocrypha How to Study the Bible The Inspired Book Aids to Reading Maps Index 189 pages William Barclay (1907–1978) is known and loved by millions worldwide as one of the greatest Christian teachers of modern times. His insights into the New Testament, combined with his vibrant writing style, have enlightened readers of all ages for over half a century. He worked for most of his life as Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow, and he wrote more then fifty books—most of which are still in print today. His most popular work, the Daily Study Bible (WJK), has been translated into over a dozen languages and has sold more than ten million copies around the world. Introducing the Bible By William Barclay Abingdon Press Copyright © 1972 BRF and IBRA All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-687-36590-6 Contents Foreword by Ronnie Barclay, Prayers for Bible Study, Introduction by John Rogerson, 1. The Making of the Old Testament, 2. The Making of the New Testament, 3. The Apocrypha, 4. How to Study the Bible, 5. The Inspired Book, Aids to Reading, Maps, Index, CHAPTER 1 The Making of the Old Testament The Canon of Scripture We are going to begin by studying how the Bible was built up and came into being. To put it in technical language, we are going to study the formation of the canon of Scripture. The canon of Scripture is that list of books which have been accepted as the Christian Church's written rule of faith; it is the list of the "official" books of the Church; it is the list of books which the Church regards as authoritative and determinative for the story of its own history, and for the formation of its life and doctrine. A list in this sense and usage contains books which have had something done to them; they have been put on the list; but these same books do something to everything else; they become the standard by which all other things are judged. So the canon of Scripture was formulated by the Church; in this sense it was not the Bible which made the Church, it was the Church which made the Bible; for the Church existed long before the Bible existed. The early Church did not possess the New Testament; it was busy writing it. On the other hand these books are not merely books which have had the passive experience of having had something done to them; they are books which have the active power of guiding and directing the life and work of the Church. So we go on to study how there came into being that list of books which the Church accepted as authoritative and which became the basic documents of the Christian faith. Papyrus and Parchment If we go into a shop nowadays, and ask for a copy of the Bible, we will be handed one single volume, one book. But if we open that book we will find lists of the books of the Old Testament and of the New Testament. We will find that by the usual reckoning there are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, a total of 66 books. This is to say that, when we buy a one-volume Bible, we are really buying a library between two covers. When we go on to investigate this portable library a little more closely, we will find that the writing of it was spread over at least one thousand years, and that its books were written all over the ancient world from distant Babylon to Rome. If we had lived in biblical times, we would never have made the mistake of thinking of the Bible as one book, because we would never have seen it in the form of one book; it did not exist in that form. In the ancient world literary works were written on rolls. The book form, called the codex, did not emerge until round about the second century AD. The Old Testament books were written on skins. The New Testament books were originally written on papyrus. Papyrus was made from the papyrus reed, which grew almost exclusively on the banks of the Nile. It is a bulrush. It can be taller than a man, and thicker than a man's wrist. The pith was cut into long strips; it was then