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A New, Old Book for the 21st Century: Reading the Bible as Literature

by Horace Sams, Jr., and Fred Edwards

 

Dedicated to all who regard the Bible as a friend, a history, a saga, a source of inspiration, a sacred work, or all of these.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface
Introduction
 
Chapter
1.Working to Understand the Bible
Understanding the Nature of the Bible as Literature
Understanding the Old Testament
Understanding the New Testament
Understanding and Applying the Principles of Reading the Bible as Literature
2.The Literary Qualities of the Bible
In What Sense Can the Bible Be Called Literature?
How is the Bible Like Other Literature?
How is the Bible Different from Other literature?
What is at Risk by Treating the Bible as Literature?
3.The Unity of the Bible—One Great Book, or 66 Different Little Books?
Unity of Organization
The Unity of the Bible and Modern Literary Practices
Unity of the Two Testaments
4.Applying Literary Criticism to Inspired Writings
Evolution of the New Testament
Today's Bible
The Basis of the Doctrine of Inspiration
Positions of Scholars and Churches Toward Literary Criticism of the Bible
5.How to Avoid the Inerrancy Trap
What is Inerrancy?
Six Flaws in the Inerrancy Approach
Facing the Inerrancy Flaws with a Literary Approach to the Bible
6.Can We Really Trust the Bible?
Misplaced Trust
Balancing Trust with Faith
Building Trust Through the Dynamic Inspiration Concept
Learning to Read: Gaining Trust Through Reader-Oriented Analysis
7.How Can We Get Meaning From the Bible?
How Do We Get Meaning from Any Book?
The Traditional Four Elements of Meaning
Validity in Interpretation
What the Bible Says about Its Own Meaning
8.The Bible's Influence on Selected English and American Literature
The Bible's Influence on Selected English Literature
The Bible's Influence on Selected American Literature
Where the Bible Intersects with Other Literature
9.Solving the Creationist Controversy
Two Competing Theories about the Nature of Man
A Tale of Two Books
The Voyage of HMS Beagle—Darwin's Discoveries and Publications
The Christian Response to Darwinism
The Present Triangular Controversy
A Proposed Solution to the Creationist Controversy
Conclusion—Jastrow and Jason
10.The Devil Made Me Do It
The Genesis Story of the Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve
Temptation and Fall Themes in the Writings of John Milton
The Meaning of The Temptations of Christ
What We Can Learn from Milton about Using Literary Techniques
11."By What Authority?"
Various Views of the Meaning of Authority
Four Sources of Authority in the Christian Faith
The Problems of Authority
Biblical Authority and Literary Analysis
An Irreverent and Light-hearted Postscript
 
Appendix
A.Glossary
B.Suggested Reading
C.Outline of the History of Israel
D.Selected List of English Bible Versions