The Book: A History of the Bible

Rating:
Summary: Lovely and compelling
Review: Seeking a book on inspired guidance in the Judeo-Christian tradition? Look elsewhere. This is a voluminous history of the Bible. But it doesn't read like history. The life of "The Book" is too grand a story to be told without verve and passion.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely and compelling
Review: Seeking a book on inspired guidance in the Judeo-Christian tradition? Look elsewhere. This is a voluminous history of the Bible. But it doesn't read like history. The life of "The Book" is too grand a story to be told without verve and passion.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better overviews of the History of the Bible
Review: This work by Christopher de Hamel is a handsome volume that deals mainly with the history of the translated Bible in Western Europe. It is lushly illustrated throughout with colour plates of various ancient and mediaeval manuscripts, and Renaissance printed works. Much (more than half) of de Hamel's work is focused on the journey of the translation of St. Jerome, the Vulgate, from its birth in the late Roman Empire on through to its distinction as the first printed Book by Gutenberg. However, de Hamel also touches upon other manifestations of the Holy Scriptures-- the original Hebrew and Greek texts, as well as the modern translations in the vernacular that sprung forth in the aftermath of the Reformation.
De Hamel starts off with an Introduction showing the undesputed influence the Bible has had on civilization, outlining his purpose in writing his book, and describing topics that he will touch upon in the coming chapters. He then turns to the (in his opinion) most influential translation of the Scripture: Jerome's Vulgate. Jerome's life is decribed, and how he came to produce his monumental Latin Bible. The gradual triumph of the Vulgate is shown, as it was more and more the version copied out in monasteries. De Hamel cites manuscript after manuscript to illustate his points, and this can get grating after a while since each is categorised with the university/museum in which it is currently housed. The first chapter ends with Charlemagne, the reviver of Roman culture, and the Vulgate is now de facto the Bible of the West.
Next, de Hamel turns to the original texts of the Holy Scripture: the Hebrew Masoretic (and its Greek translation, the Septuagint,) and the Greek New Testament. Briefly turning his focus back to the East from whence the Writings originated, de Hamel traces how the Scripture in its original languages survived in the volatile and ever turbulent Eastern Mediterranean, where dispersed Jewish communities zealously preserved the Torah and Tanakh, and the Eastern Church strove to stem the tide of a new faith from the deserts of Arabia. The distinction in how Christian and Jew, and Western and Eastern Churches produced and reverenced the Bible is highlighted.
Chapters 3-6 deal withthe further story of the Vulgate in the Middle Ages. First, the Latin Bible grows to humongous proportions, and is beautifully illuminated. It then is commented upon, and padded with the discertations of Church Fathers and medieval clerics. Finally, at the threshold of the Renaissance, the Vulgate gradually assumes a familiar form as it becomes reduced in size and attains a standard format and ordering of books. As the common folk yearn to become more acquianted with the cloistered, highly protected Scripture, the Bible in picture form for their edification is touched upon.
Chapters 7-9 deal with the Bible in vernacular translation and printed form. The 14th century Wycliffe Bible in Middle English is devoted an entire chapter, as its groudbreaking influence is stressed. As the spark that would ignite the Reformation a century later, Wycliffe's translation is given its due honour. Next comes Gutenberg, and the first printed book: Jerome's Vulgate. Even though in a obsolete language, Gutenberg's Bible would usher a new era as now the doors were opened for mass dissemination of ideas and doctrines-- the time for Reformation had come. Chapter 9 deals with this, as from Germany to England, the Reform movement gains headway against Rome and the Bible is translated in the mother tongue of the common people. The work of scholars who turned to the original languages, the translating of Luther, and the monumental translation of King James are covered.
The final three chapters shift to the dissemination, mainly through the efforts of British and American missionaries, of the Bible to the ends of the earth. The modern Bible industries of the two nations are illustrated from the 19th to 21st centuries. Chapter 12 deals with the modern search for the ancient origins of the Bible, and its earliest texts, in the archaeological expeditions of Western scholars.
Overall, de Hamel's work was a joy to read. Especially with its colour plates, it vividly illustrates the evolution of the Holy Writ. There are a few grammatical and typographical errors in this edition, as well as the mentioned overlisting of manuscripts that can get tiring, but they are negligible. The price too, was a bit high for 1-2 weeks worth of reading, but in the end well worth the journey one experiences in this tale of the Book of Books.

Rating:
Summary: A new perspective on an old book
Review: Two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, and four thousand after the birth of Abraham, is there anything that hasn't been written about the Bible? As it turns out, quite a lot. Christopher De Hamel, formerly the manuscripts curator for Sotheby's and currently on the faculty at Cambridge, has given us in "The Book: A History of the Bible" what we didn't have before: a book about the Bible as a book. His narrative begins with St. Jerome's translation of the Bible into Latin, and proceeds through the centuries to describe how it has been copied, illustratied, translated, and printed, in both its Jewish and Christian forms. De Hamel's prose style is lively and engaging, and the illustrations are copious and beautiful high-resolution photographs of stunning examples of the Bible-maker's art. The book is filled with small gems. Did you know, for example, that more Bibles survive from the thirteenth century than any other artifact, save possibly buildings? This book should reach a wide and diverse audience, from those who revere the Bible as the Word of God to those who want to gain a better understanding of its historical and literary importance.