The Story of the Bible ~ Larry Stone

The Story of the Bible does more than explore the history of the Bible; it makes that history come alive with more than 90 illustrations and 23 removable life-size resporductions from the world's most important Bibles, including the Gutenberg Bible, the Book of Kells, the Great Isaiah Scroll, Wycliffe's New Testament, and the 1611 printing of the King James Bible.

• In 1844 a German scholar traveled ten days by camel to a monastery guarded by the 1,100-year-old skeleton of a janitor, where the scholar discovered the world's oldest complete copy of the New Testament.
• In 1947 the oldest complete manuscript of Hebrew Scripture disappeared in Syrian riots. Part of it was later recovered, and a full page and a fragment were also discovered in Brooklyn, New York.
• In 1536 William Tyndale was burned at the stake for the crime of publishing the New Testament in English.

The Bible is a remarkable collection of books and letters, written by more than forty authors over a period of 1,500 years. Its words have been studied, disputed, and treasured. They have also brought comfort, conviction, and challenge. Today at least one book of the Bible is translated into more than 2,400 of the world's 6,900 living languages.

The Story of the Bible is a sweeping panorama of the Bible's 3,500-year history, answering questions such as: How accurate are the manuscripts we have? Do all translations say the same thing? Was America really founded on the Bible? Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so important?

One of the primary attractions from The Story of the Bible is the heavy bound, rather large hardback book inundated with a mobile biblical museum. The pages encased within The Story of the Bible are steeped in rich outlines of spiritual and scientifc facts. Thin envelopes of tissue paper enclose replicated artifacts to enliven the educational experience of the reader. Such pieces include:

• Codex Sinaiticus (Luke 24:23-24:53)
• Peshitta (...the oldest known copy of a part of the Bible...)
• Gutenberg Bible
• The New Testament in Greek and Latin compiled by Erasmus
• The Geneva Bible
• The New Testament translated by William Tyndale

A beautifully detailed timeline unfolds inside the front and back hardcovers. Enlightening readers within are layouts of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets as well as the oldest Bible with vowels. Interesting facts are surfaced on just how "meticulous" the Jewish scribes compiled their sacred work.

Approaching with a delicate embrace upon the history that defines the essence, origin and vital importance of Judaism and Christianity, Larry Stone comprises a beautiful treasure for any Jew, Christian, scholar, pastor or family. The Story of the Bible is a brilliant addition to any Christian library for personal or professional use.

Larry Stone has written a variety of books, edited and published biblical reference books, and, as a vice president of Thomas Nelson Publishers and president of Rutledge Hill Press, published more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and Kattskill Bay, New York. 

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This book was provided free for review by BookSneeze (Thomas Nelson Publishers)