Whose Bible Is It?

Title: Whose Bible Is It ? – A Short History of the Scriptures

Author: Jaroslav Pelikan

Publisher: Penguin, 2005 (First)

ISBN: 0-1430-3677-7

Pages: 251

No other book has exerted a greater influence on the actions of humanity over the ages than the Bible. Millions cherished it, followed it to the letter, practiced what it preached, died and killed for it. Though everyone would accept that it is the sacred book of Christians, we also find many portions of the collection of books which goes by the name of Bible are sacred to Judaism and Islam as well. It is this affiliation offered by these varied sects that have obtained the sobriquet, People of the Book, to them. This work is a fine effort to explain the origins of Bible, its growth, splits, compilations, the story of its spreading across the world and newer interpretations of it which continue to be of relevance to a great many people. Pelikan is amply fit for the task, as he is the Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University and is the author of many books, including the five-volume The Christian Tradition – A History of the Development of Doctrine. He has received many professional acclaims, counting also an honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America to a total of more than forty honorary degrees. It is no wonder why such a book crossing the boundary of everyday religion should invariably come from a man who is a bridge between religions.

The book begins with an excellent review of how the books of the Bible came to be assembled as the canon or scripture. The history of the Scriptures is handled in fine, professional manner which is appealing to all classes of readers since it contains enough respect for the faithful and enough objectivity for the skeptic. The stories, or events, depending on which way you look at it, described in the Old Testament were handed down through generations by word of mouth. It came to be codified by the first or second centuries BCE. The Old Testament (also called Tanakh) is divided into three parts – the Torah which is the most sacred, consisting of the first five books and forms a canon within the canon, the Nevi’im, which is the deeds and teachings of the prophets of Israel, and the Kethuvim, the writings which were incorporated into the canon at a later date. Scholars differ on the date on which the book was assembled from its constituent parts, as the Greek word biblia means ‘little books’. Pelikan gives a surprisingly later date for the compilation of Old Testament as 90 or 100 CE, but with solid evidence to back the claim. This date is later than the making of some of the books of New Testament. But the author asserts that the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE and the rise of the Christian movement had goaded the Jewish rabbis to set their scriptures in a permanent way through a synagogue held at Jamnia.

Alexandria in Egypt was a great centre of cosmopolitan learning and commerce in the early centuries of common era. Lot of Jews lived there and thrived. Many of them lost contact with their mother tongue, Hebrew, in which the Old Testament is written. Partly to provide inspiration to this new generation and partly to spread the message among gentiles, the Bible was translated into Greek. Legends says that six scribes each from the twelve tribes of Israel were employed for the work, bringing the total to 72. Hence the Greek Bible came to be called Septuagint. In fact, the Christians made most use of this book, to carry on their own liturgical process at which the Jews were deliberately kept apart. The New Testament, written originally in Greek, was a logical sequence to the Septuagint.

A skeletal form of the New Testament was in use by 150 CE but there was no uniformity in the sequence or selection of books. It was written in Greek as Paul preached his ministry in Asia Minor, Greece and only later was attracted to Rome. Scholars like Athanasius of Caesaria and Jerome was successful in compiling the books of the New Testament in a canonical form by the end of the 4^th century. It may astonish us to learn that the books of the Old Testament was finalized and legitimized only a millennium later, at the Council of Trent in 1546. The rising power of Rome and its official language, Latin, was instrumental in bringing about a Latin translation of the Bible, known as vulgate, meaning vernacular. However, the Jews had seen the danger of translating their holy books by now, as the Septuagint, which was a Greek translation was expropriated by Christians. Therefore, the Jewish texts were not translated to Latin with ecclesiastical sanction.

The next big development came with the advent of printing. Gutenberg first published the Bible in 1454-55 in Latin. Revised editions soon appeared everywhere. Desiderius Erasmus’ work in 1505 came out with Greek and Latin authorized versions. The Protestant Reformation spearheaded by Martin Luther and Calvin sought to accord sanction only to the original text in Hebrew or Greek as they mounted a campaign of going back to the Originals. Primacy of place for reverence moved to the Book instead of idols as in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. A subtle shift in learning of Hebrew and Greek was seen in Reformation clergy. This importance granted to Bible text resulted in a number of interpretations to it and consequent schisms. Bible was translated to several vernaculars in Europe by 16^th century, with the German translation by Martin Luther himself. The authorized King James version in English appeared in 1611.

The last two centuries saw phenomenal growth both in the number of copies and number of translations of the Bible. There is virtually no language, nor library on earth in which a copy of the Tanakh or New Testament is not available. However, the last century also witnessed the Holocaust, where Jews who share the Scriptures with Christians were singled out and killed in large numbers for the religious belief they possessed. In the end, all comes to the interpretation and reinterpretations of the books of the Bible which are giving new meanings and aptness to our everyday lives, as the author sums it up.

The book could have done better with an index on account of the lots of esoteric terms and ideas discussed. In its present form, it is very difficult to look up a word later. The language is scholarly, which means there is ample scope for simplification. Long sentences, reaching up to half a page can be seen. This is definitely not a disadvantage, as fine diction is the aspiration of any writer.

The book makes itself endearing to the readers on account of the fine thread of humour intricately woven into the structure of the narrative. It is no mean feat to be humorous while dealing with such a sensitive issue as Scriptures.

The book is recommended.

Rating: 3 Star