Schniedwind, William M. How the Bible Became a Book. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2004
This is not a full review, since it has been too long since I finished the book to give it proper thought, so this'll be a brief intro. The underlying concept is not how the disparate books of the Bible became canonized into the modern Bible, but how oral tradition modified and adapted to the growing power of the written word. Schniedwind traces the threads of Biblical narrative from emphasis entirely on tradition and the word to more power being assumed by text and the written word. This is woven with archaeological evidence for growing literacy in the Israelite world, especially fueled by the rise of Aramaic with the Assyrian Empire.
The impact of exile and the return to Judea is covered and the book closes with the Dead Sea Community, one known almost entirely from their textual output. It was an good read, but alas enough time has passed that I cannot give a fuller account
A
This is not a full review, since it has been too long since I finished the book to give it proper thought, so this'll be a brief intro. The underlying concept is not how the disparate books of the Bible became canonized into the modern Bible, but how oral tradition modified and adapted to the growing power of the written word. Schniedwind traces the threads of Biblical narrative from emphasis entirely on tradition and the word to more power being assumed by text and the written word. This is woven with archaeological evidence for growing literacy in the Israelite world, especially fueled by the rise of Aramaic with the Assyrian Empire.
The impact of exile and the return to Judea is covered and the book closes with the Dead Sea Community, one known almost entirely from their textual output. It was an good read, but alas enough time has passed that I cannot give a fuller account
A
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