Why read The Social Universe of the English Bible?

Book cover of The Social Universe of the English Bible: Scripture, Society, and Culture in Early Modern England

Book description

How can we explain the immense popularity of the English Bible? In this book, Naomi Tadmor argues that the vernacular Bible became so influential in early modern English society and culture not only because it was deeply revered, widely propagated, and resonant, but also because it was - at least…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Social Universe of the English Bible as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Peter Marshall

Author

At the heart of the Reformation in England was an insistence that people be allowed access to Scripture in their own language, but translation was invariably a selective and creative process. Tadmor brilliantly shows how the translators of the Hebrew Bible (‘Old Testament’) remade the ancient world in the image of contemporary Tudor society, editing out many references to slavery and polygamous marriage, and merging together distinct forms of political governance through consistent reference to the authority of a ‘prince’. The findings are eye-opening, and the book should be required reading for modern biblical fundamentalists.

From Peter's list on the English Reformation.