Why the Bible Began
An Alternative History of Scripture and its Origins

With a bold new thesis about the discovery of 'peoplehood,' this book revolutionizes our understanding of the Bible and its historical achievement.

Jacob L. Wright (Author)

9781108490931, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 August 2023

300 pages
23.6 x 16 x 3 cm, 0.84 kg

‘A revelation, even to those who have read the Bible for a lifetime! We witness how in the aftermath of catastrophic defeat and devastation, the biblical authors fashioned a new form of political community--one in which a shared body of texts provided common ground for deeply divided communities and the marginalized in their communities. At the heart of the Hebrew Bible is, as Wright shows, not a creed but a question: What does it mean to be a people? In our time of deepening divisions, both this question and the ways in which these ancient writers addressed it deserve renewed, and serious, attention.’ Robert M. Franklin, President Emeritus, Morehouse College

Why did no other ancient society produce a text remotely like the Bible? That a tiny, out of the way community, could have produced a text so determinative for peoples across the globe seems improbable.For Jacob Wright, the Bible is not only a testimony of survival, but also an unparalleled achievement in human history. Forged during Babylonian exile after the shattering destruction of Jerusalem, it makes not victory but total humiliation the foundation of a new idea of belonging. Lamenting the destruction of their homeland, scribes who composed the Bible turned to the golden ages of the past, reflecting deeply on abject failure. More than just religious scripture, the Bible is a resonant blueprint for the inspiring creation of a nation. As a response to catastrophe, it offers a powerful, message of hope and restoration that is unique in the Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman worlds. Wright's Bible is thus a social, political, and even economic roadmap – one that enabled a small and obscure community located on the periphery of leading civilizations and empires, not just to come back from the brink, but ultimately to shape the world's destiny. The Bible speaks ultimately of being a united, yet diverse people, and its pages present a manual of pragmatic survival strategies in response to societal collapse.

I. The Rise and Fall: 1. Abraham and Sarah: From One to the Many
2. Miriam: Empire and Exodus
3. Deborah: A New Dawn
4. David: Between North and South
5. Ahab and Jezebel: Putting Israel on the Map
6. Jehu and Elisha: Israel's Downfall and Judah's Jubilation
7. Hezekiah and Isaiah: Putting Judah on the Map
8. Josiah and Huldah: Judah's Downfall and Deportation
II. Admitting Defeat: 9. Daughter Zion: Finding One's Voice
10. The Creator: Comforting the Afflicted
11. Haggai the Prophet: Laying the Foundation
12. Nehemiah the Builder: Restoring Judean Pride
13. Ezra the Educator: Becoming a People of the Book
14. Hoshayahu the Soldier: Peoplehood as a Pedagogical Project
III. A New Narrative: 15. Jeremiah and Baruch: A Monument to Defeat
16. Isaac and Rebekah: The Family Story
17. Moses and Joshua: The People's History
18. Hannah and Samuel: The Palace History
19. Solomon and the Queen of Sheba: The National Narrative
20. Jonah: The Prophets as Survival Literature
21. Yhwh's People: Codes, Covenant, and Kinship
IV. A People of Protest: 22. Matriarch: Women and the Biblical Agenda
23. The Hero: Redefining Gender Roles
24. The Other: Tales of War, Outsiders, and Allegiance
25. The Soldier: Sacrificial Death and Eternal Life
26. Prophet and Priest: Open Access and Separation of Powers
27. The Sage: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes
28. The Poet: The Song of Songs and Psalms
29. The Queen: Peoplehood without Piety.

Subject Areas: Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG]