WE ARE familiar with the Bible. We listen to it being read in church, and we probably spend time in private or group study. It is a book that builds our faith and so has a deeply personal significance for us. This book helps us to see the Bible in a new way, as a tradition of faith which builds the life of the Church.
There are three sections, each of which shows us a different dimension and fresh perspective on the Bible. The first describes the book itself. It shows how the books of the Old and New Testaments were collected together, and grew out of the culture and languages of the period. It also traces how the appearance of the book changed from codex to manuscript to printed book.
Then there is a section on how the Bible has been used, first within worship, during which there was extended exposition of passages of the Bible at a time when actual texts were scarce. Then, later, it was used in private study, and then as the basis of an education system.
The third section is about interpretation, showing how believers have made sense of documents that come from so many periods and backgrounds, discovering that they point towards the revelation of God in Christ. Within this, there are three great biblical themes that form the Christian tradition: Creation, with God as the origin of all that is; Exodus, with Christ’s redemption from sin and death; and then Word, with the Spirit’s guiding of all we do.
The title of the book — The Bible in the Early Church — is too modest, as it sets out the tradition of the Bible in the life of the whole Church. Its style is clear and accessible. At the end, it helpfully adds a “cast of characters”, with summaries of the contributions of the great theologians of the Church.
The Bible, as a holy book, is a theological and religious tradition. We are helped to recognise our place in that tradition and so to find our way to a deeper and more engaged commitment with it.
The Revd Dr John Binns is Visiting Professor at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge.
The Bible in the Early Church
Justo L. González
Eerdmans £15.99
(978-0-8028-8174-8)
Church Times Bookshop £14.39
