This Very Short Introduction explores how the Bible was written, the development of the canon, the role of Biblical criticism, the appropriation of the Bible in high and popular culture, and its use for political ends.

John Riches was the Chaplain and Fellow at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he taught philosophy of religion from 1968 to 1972. He then taught the New Testament at Glasgow University from 1973 to 2002, with periods as a visiting lecturer in theological colleges in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. Riches' major areas of study have been the Gospels and Paul, with a particular interest in the history of reception of the Bible.

• List of illustrations


• 1: The Bible in the modern world: classic or sacred text?


• 2: How the Biblical books were written


• 3: The making of the Bible


• 4: The translation, production and distribution of the Bible


• 5: Jewish and Christian readings of the binding of Isaac


• 6: Galatians through history


• 7: The Bible and its critics


• 8: The Bible in the post-colonial world


• 9: The Bible in politics


• 10: The Bible in high and popular culture


• 11: Conclusion


• References


• Further reading


• Index of biblical references


• General index