Is the Bible True? : How Modern Debates and Discoveries Affirms the Essence of the Scriptures

by Jeffery L. Sheler

• ISBN13: 9780060675417
• ISBN10: 0060675411
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-10-15
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

In this authoritative book, renowned U.S. News and World Report religion writer Jeffery L. Sheler sifts through the claims and counterclaims of contemporary biblical studies. After carefully investigating the full spectrum of cutting-edge research and conflicting reports, he challenges the popular perception that the credibility of the Bible has been seriously undermined by critical scholarship. Rather, he concludes that the weight of the historical evidence upholds the essential truth of the Exodus, the Gospel accounts of Jesus, and other vital elements of the Bible. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Jeffery L. Sheler is an award-winning journalist and has been a religion writer at U.S. News and World Report for nine years. He is a correspondent for PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and lives in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(8)
Part One: The Bible and History
Centuries of Conflict
The Battle for the Bible	9	(6)
Canon and Content
The Bible as Sacred Scripture	15	(7)
Author and Authority
Who Wrote the Bible?	22	(20)
History and ``His Story''
Is There a Difference?	42	(17)
Part Two: The Bible and Archaeology
The Stones Cry Out
A Discovery at Dan	59	(5)
Bibles and Spades
The Birth of Biblical Archaeology	64	(7)
The Patriarchs
In Search of Israel's Origins	71	(6)
The Exodus
Out of Egypt	77	(7)
The Conquest
Settling the Promised Land	84	(11)
Israel's Monarchy
The United and Divided Kingdoms	95	(15)
A New Era
The Days of Jesus	110	(10)
Into the Future
The Promise of Biblical Archaeology	120	(5)
Part Three: The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Secrets from the Desert
The Discovery at Qumran	125	(9)
Scrolls, Scholars, and Scandals
Fifty Years of Scroll Research	134	(16)
Scriptures Fixed and Fluid
The Scrolls and the Old Testament	150	(10)
Rediscovering Christianity's Roots
The Scrolls and the New Testament	160	(13)
Part Four: The Bible and the Historical Jesus
In Search of Jesus
The Historical Quest	173	(3)
The Quest and Its Origins
From the Old Quest to the Third Quest	176	(7)
Jesus and His Seekers
Scholars of the Quest	183	(10)
Nativity and Nuance
The Birth of Jesus	193	(11)
Message and Miracle
Jesus the Man	204	(10)
Death and Resurrection
The Last Days of Jesus	214	(19)
Part Five: The Bible Code and Prophecy
The Amazing Bible Code
Secret Messages from God?	233	(8)
Cracking the Code
How It Works---and Doesn't	241	(12)
Part Six: The Bible and Belief
Is the Bible True?
Conclusion	253	(4)
Notes	257