The Bible is the most influential book in Western history. As the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity, the Bible has been interpreted and reinterpreted over millennia, utilized to promote a seemingly endless run of theological and political positions. Adherents and detractors alike point to different passages throughout to justify wildly disparate behaviors and beliefs. Translated and retranslated, these texts lead both to unity and intense conflict.

Influential books on any topic are typically called "bibles." What is the Bible? As a text considered sacred by some, its stories and language appear throughout the fine arts and popular culture, from Shakespeare to Saturday Night Live. In Michael Coogan's eagerly awaited addition to Oxford's What Everyone Needs to Know? series, conflicts and controversies surrounding the world's bestselling book are addressed in a straightforward Q&A format. This book provides an unbiased look at biblical authority and authorship, the Bible's influence in Western culture, the disputes over meaning and interpretation, and the state of biblical scholarship today. Brimming with information for the student and the expert alike, The Bible: What Everyone Needs to Know ? is a dependable introduction to a most contentious holy book.

Michael Coogan has been Lecturer on the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at the Harvard Divinity School and the Director of Publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum. He is the editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible, and The Old Testament: A Very Short Introduction.

1. What is the Bible?
2. Why are Bibles different?
3. What is in the Bible?
4. Who wrote the Bible?
5. How can the Bible be studied?
6. Is the Bible true?
7. How has the Bible influenced Western culture?
8. What is not in the Bible?
9. Why is the Bible such an important book?
Timeline of principal biblical events and characters
Index