For For students and thoughtful readers asking how the books of the Bible came to be recognised; not for a first introduction to the Bible.
Should I read this?
For the general reader
3 of 5worth your time
For the researcher
5 of 5essential
Difficulty
3 of 5demanding
His history of how the Old and New Testament canons were formed and recognised (1988), a standard work on the subject.
How it proceeds
Philosophic1 of 5
Scriptural4 of 5
Experiential0 of 5
Sociological2 of 5
Historical5 of 5
Independent intensities, 0–5 — what the work is made of, not how good it is.
Published by Chapter House in Britain and InterVarsity Press in America in 1988 (349 pages), one of his last major books. Bruce traces how the books of the Old and New Testaments came to be recognised as scripture in Judaism and in the church. His 1974 lecture on the 'Secret' Gospel of Mark is reprinted in it.
