6000 years of the Bible

the long version

This is not a work of theology. It is simply the story of the birth and existence of a unique book -- the Bible. I have written, as you can see, about the Bible not as an object of learned study but as a book for everyone. I wanted to show the thread running through the centuries, so I had to begin by sketching the civilizations of the ancient world, and particularly of the Israelites. For theirs is the soil that nourished the traditions, the stories, and the songs, which eventually became Holy Writ. - Preface.