Why the Bible Began
An Alternative History of Scripture and Its Origins
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Why the Bible Began
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Narrated by:
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Jim Denison
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By:
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Jacob L. Wright
About this listen
Why did no other ancient society produce something like the Bible? That a tiny, out of the way community could have created a literary corpus 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 after Babylon's devastation 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 imagined a promise-filled past while reflecting deeply on abject failure. More than just religious scripture, the Bible began as a trailblazing blueprint for a new form of political community. Its response to catastrophe 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 for communities confronting societal collapse.
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- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 30
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story5 out of 5 stars 28
For the past two thousand years, Christian tradition, scholarship, and pop culture have credited the authorship of the New Testament to a select group of men: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul. But hidden behind these named and sainted individuals are a cluster of enslaved coauthors and collaborators.
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1 out of 5 stars
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I just selected the wrong book
- By N. Thompson on 02-02-25
By: Candida Moss
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The Making of the Bible
- From the First Fragments to Sacred Scripture
- By: Konrad Schmid, Jens Schröter, Peter Lewis - translator
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4 out of 5 stars 10
The Bible as we know it today is best understood as a process, one that begins in the tenth century BCE. In this revelatory account, a world-renowned scholar of Hebrew scripture joins a foremost authority on the New Testament to write a new biography of the Book of Books, reconstructing Jewish and Christian scriptural histories, as well as the underappreciated contest between them, from which the Bible arose. The Making of the Bible is the most comprehensive history yet told of the world's best-known literature, revealing its buried lessons and secrets.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Blathering away....
- By C.Maddy on 05-24-23
By: Konrad Schmid, and others
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The Exodus
- By: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Narrated by: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 182
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 163
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 159
Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to the mystery of the exodus. Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history. Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account.
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3 out of 5 stars
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It started well......
- By kboy2008 on 04-21-20
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The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 2
- By: Joshua Bowen
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 48
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48
Following up on the first volume, The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 2 takes up the challenge of providing a clear and useful guide to those wanting a better understanding of the Old Testament, including its cultural and historical background, as well as discussions on contentious topics like violence and genocide, and whether the Exodus was a real historical event. Volume two also covers the narrative of the Old Testament, from the conquest to the divided monarchy, and a brief history of Egypt to help situate the biblical text within agreed historical events.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent critical approach to the Bible
- By Jacob Kilgore on 01-07-24
By: Joshua Bowen
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The Origin of Satan
- How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 563
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 475
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Story4 out of 5 stars 477
Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Must read for all practicing Christians
- By Venusian Incognito on 09-06-19
By: Elaine Pagels
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Ancient Christianities
- The First Five Hundred Years
- By: Paula Fredriksen
- Narrated by: Rachel Perry
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5
The ancient Mediterranean teemed with gods. For centuries, a practical religious pluralism prevailed. How, then, did one particular god come to dominate the politics and piety of the late Roman Empire? In Ancient Christianities, Paula Fredriksen traces the evolution of early Christianity—or rather, of early Christianities—through five centuries of Empire, mapping its pathways from the hills of Judea to the halls of Rome and Constantinople.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Among the best
- By Jacob Kilgore on 04-17-25
By: Paula Fredriksen
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A History of the Bible
- The Story of the World's Most Influential Book
- By: John Barton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 210
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 182
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 179
In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Engaging and comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 07-29-19
By: John Barton
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God's Monsters
- Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible
- By: Esther Hamori
- Narrated by: Lisa Larsen
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
Traditional interpretations of the creatures of the Bible have sanded down their sharp, unsavory edges, transforming them into celestial beings of glory and light—or chubby, happy cherubs. Those cherubs? They're actually hybrid guardian monsters, more closely associated with the Egyptian sphinx than with flying babies. And the seraphim? Winged serpents sent to mete out God's vengeance. Demons aren't at war with angels; they're a distinct supernatural species used by Satan and by God. The pattern is chilling. Most of these monsters aren't God's opponents—they're God's entourage.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Just too editorial
- By Stephen on 05-30-24
By: Esther Hamori
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How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,008
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 889
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 882
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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Armageddon
- What the Bible Really Says About the End
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 229
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 189
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 189
In Armageddon, acclaimed New Testament authority Bart D. Ehrman delves into the most misunderstood—and possibly the most dangerous—book of the Bible, exploring the horrifying social and political consequences of expecting an imminent apocalypse and offering a fascinating tour through three millennia of Judeo-Christian thinking about how our world will end. By turns hilarious, moving, troubling, and provocative, Armageddon presents inspiring insights into how to live our lives in the face of an uncertain future.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The best explanation I have heard in my 70 years on Revelations
- By Ian Huntington on 05-19-23
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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Revelations
- Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 473
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 399
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Story4 out of 5 stars 394
Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged anall-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewish prophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Revealing "Revelations"
- By Diane on 05-13-12
By: Elaine Pagels
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Jesus Before the Gospels
- How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 485
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 433
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 427
Throughout much of human history, our most important stories were passed down orally - including the stories about Jesus before they became written down in the Gospels. In this fascinating and deeply researched work, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Erhman investigates the role oral history has played in the New Testament - how the telling of these stories not only spread Jesus' message but helped shape it.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Insightful, but with limited depth
- By Jacobus on 05-28-16
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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The Evil Creator
- Origins of an Early Christian Idea
- By: M. David Litwa
- Narrated by: Ben Henri
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 29
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story5 out of 5 stars 29
This book examines the origins of the evil creator idea chiefly in light of early Christian biblical interpretations. It is divided into two parts. In Part I, the focus is on the interpretations of Exodus and John. Firstly, ancient Egyptian assimilation of the Jewish god to the evil deity Seth-Typhon is studied to understand its reapplication by Phibionite and Sethian Christians to the Judeo-catholic creator. Secondly, the Christian reception of John 8:44 (understood to refer to the devil's father) is shown to implicate the Judeo-catholic creator in murdering Christ.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The detailed connection between set-typhon and the early Israelite deities el and yahweh.
- By John on 04-15-25
By: M. David Litwa
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The Gnostic New Testament and Jewels from Nag Hammadi
- By: Joseph Lumpkin
- Narrated by: Mel Jackson
- Length: 25 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 4
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4
Contained here is a compilation of the most powerful and sought after Gnostic texts available. Gnostic writings discovered in the areas of Nag Hammadi, Cairo, Oxyrynchus, and around the world have been placed in a single volume to allow the listener an appreciation of the theology and deep wisdom held in the Gnostic sect of the Christian faith. Included in this audiobook is information on various Gnostic thoughts and beliefs, which will help the listener better navigate a Christian theology vastly different from modern Christianity.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!!!
- By Talon Vyler on 08-12-24
By: Joseph Lumpkin
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Miracles and Wonder
- The Historical Mystery of Jesus
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Eunice Wong
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 39
Early in her career, Elaine Pagels changed our understanding of the origins of Christianity with her work in The Gnostic Gospels. Now, in the culmination of a decades-long career, she explores the biggest subject of all, Jesus. In Miracles and Wonder she sets out to discover how a poor young Jewish man inspired a religion that shaped the world.
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2 out of 5 stars
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I had high hopes for this title
- By Christine on 04-02-25
By: Elaine Pagels