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Part I - The Rise and Fall

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2023

Jacob L. Wright
Jacob L. Wright
Affiliation:
Emory University, Atlanta
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Summary

Our point of departure for this book is the question why we have a Bible. We will attend to the who, the what, the when, and the where. But our larger concern is why it all began – and why it began in places that were off the beaten path rather than at the centers of ancient civilization. Our answer to that question will involve two primary factors: 1) political division and 2) military defeat. Without the relationship between a pair of closely related kingdoms, and without their devastating destruction and downfall, we would not have a Bible. In the chapters of Part I that follow, we explore where these two kingdoms emerged, whether they were ever united, what they achieved, and how they perished.

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Chapter
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Why the Bible Began
An Alternative History of Scripture and its Origins
 , pp. 17 - 134
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Rise and Fall
  • Jacob L. Wright, Emory University, Atlanta
  • Book: Why the Bible Began
  • Online publication: 13 July 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108859240.003
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  • The Rise and Fall
  • Jacob L. Wright, Emory University, Atlanta
  • Book: Why the Bible Began
  • Online publication: 13 July 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108859240.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Rise and Fall
  • Jacob L. Wright, Emory University, Atlanta
  • Book: Why the Bible Began
  • Online publication: 13 July 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108859240.003
Available formats
×