The Bible's Cutting Room Floor
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group
There’s more to the story: A scholar and translator reveals the history of the Bible—and the parts that were left out, by accident or design.
The Bible you usually read is not the complete story: Some holy writings were left out for political or theological reasons, others simply because of the physical restrictions of ancient bookmaking technology. At times, the compilers of the Bible skipped information that they assumed everyone knew. Some passages were even omitted by accident. In The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor, acclaimed translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman gives us the stories and other texts that didn’t make it into the Bible even though they offer penetrating insight into the Bible and its teachings.
The Book of Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden, but not their saga after they get kicked out or the lessons they have for us about good and evil. The Bible introduces us to Abraham, but it doesn’t include the troubling story of his early life, which explains how he came to reject idolatry to become the father of monotheism. And while there are only 150 Psalms in today’s Bible, there used to be many more.
Dr. Hoffman deftly brings these and other ancient scriptural texts to life, exploring how they offer new answers to some of the most fundamental and universal questions people ask about their lives. An impressive blend of history, linguistics, and religious scholarship, The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor reveals what’s missing from your Bible, who left it out, and why it is so important.
“Hoffman also provides an accessible and entertaining history of the context in which the ‘rejected’ works arose, a fascinating account of how the Dead Sea Scrolls came to light in the mid-20th century (and what they include), an analysis of Josephus’s contributions to history, and the relationship between the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Bible) and the Hebrew Scriptures.” —Publishers Weekly
“A wonderful book to confirm the beliefs of the faithful, to strengthen those whose faith begs for more information and to enlighten those who reject the stories of the Bible as mere fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Bible you usually read is not the complete story: Some holy writings were left out for political or theological reasons, others simply because of the physical restrictions of ancient bookmaking technology. At times, the compilers of the Bible skipped information that they assumed everyone knew. Some passages were even omitted by accident. In The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor, acclaimed translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman gives us the stories and other texts that didn’t make it into the Bible even though they offer penetrating insight into the Bible and its teachings.
The Book of Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden, but not their saga after they get kicked out or the lessons they have for us about good and evil. The Bible introduces us to Abraham, but it doesn’t include the troubling story of his early life, which explains how he came to reject idolatry to become the father of monotheism. And while there are only 150 Psalms in today’s Bible, there used to be many more.
Dr. Hoffman deftly brings these and other ancient scriptural texts to life, exploring how they offer new answers to some of the most fundamental and universal questions people ask about their lives. An impressive blend of history, linguistics, and religious scholarship, The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor reveals what’s missing from your Bible, who left it out, and why it is so important.
“Hoffman also provides an accessible and entertaining history of the context in which the ‘rejected’ works arose, a fascinating account of how the Dead Sea Scrolls came to light in the mid-20th century (and what they include), an analysis of Josephus’s contributions to history, and the relationship between the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Bible) and the Hebrew Scriptures.” —Publishers Weekly
“A wonderful book to confirm the beliefs of the faithful, to strengthen those whose faith begs for more information and to enlighten those who reject the stories of the Bible as mere fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews
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