The Bible
Various Authors (c. 1500 BCE - 100 CE (compiled))
“The single most influential text in Western literature — a sprawling anthology of creation myths, war chronicles, love poetry, philosophical dialogues, prophetic visions, and apocalyptic imagery that shaped every major English-language author from Milton to Morrison.”
At a Glance
The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books (in the Protestant canon) written over roughly 1,500 years by dozens of authors. The Old Testament begins with creation narratives, traces the history of the Israelites through patriarchal stories, Egyptian bondage, wilderness wandering, conquest, monarchy, exile, and return. Interspersed are legal codes, wisdom literature, psalms, and prophetic oracles. The New Testament opens with four accounts of Jesus of Nazareth's life and teachings, followed by the early church's expansion under Paul and others, a series of pastoral and theological letters, and a climactic apocalyptic vision in Revelation.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
The Bible is the most printed, most translated, and most widely distributed text in human history. It has been translated into over 700 languages in full and portions into over 3,500. It shaped Western law, ethics, art, music, literature, and political thought for two millennia. Its influence extends far beyond religious practice — the concepts of linear history, individual moral responsibility, social justice for the poor, and the dignity of the oppressed that pervade Western culture all have biblical roots.
Diction Profile
Ranges from the legal formality of Leviticus to the colloquial urgency of Mark's Gospel to the philosophical density of John and Paul — the Bible contains virtually every prose and poetic register available in the ancient world
Extremely high