
The Bible is the most widely distributed book in the world. Translated into over two thousand languages it is estimated that more than six billion copies have been sold in the last two hundred years alone. In this seminal account Karen Armstrong traces the gestation of the Bible to reveal a complex & contradictory document created by scores of people over hundreds of years. Karen Armstrong begins her analysis with the origins of the very earliest books of the Hebrew Bible" in which God was called both Yahweh & Elohim. She then traces the development of both the " Hebrew Bible" & the " New Testament" to reveal the disparate influences that helped to form these sacred texts. From the Jewish practice of Midrash & the Christian cult of Jesus; to the influence of Pauls letters on the Reformation & the manipulation of Revelations by Christian fundamentalism Armstrong explores the contexts in which these sixty-six books were understood & explains the social needs they answered. In the process she reveals an unfamiliar & paradoxical work that will permanently alter our understanding of the Bible."