The Bible in the Early Church

Justo L. Gonzalez is a retired United Methodist minister and professor of historical theology. His more than one hundred books include The Story of Christianity, A History of Christian Thought, Teach Us to Pray, Knowing Our Faith, and A Brief History of Sunday.

"This is the best introduction to the Bible in the early church currently available. In clear and accessible prose, Gonzalez surveys the Bible as a physical artifact, its uses in various settings, and the different ways it was interpreted by its earliest readers. The Bible in the Early Church is both conversational and dependable, hallmarks of Gonzalez's scholarship over the decades. The book is ideally suited for general readers and undergraduate classrooms." -- Peter W. Martens professor of early Christianity at Saint Louis University "Finally. A book on the Bible in early Christianity that answers the important questions that everyone asks and does it in a way that everyone will want to read. This is Gonzalez at his best. He cuts to the chase, anticipates our queries, leads us to the best of the primary sources, gives us enough, but not too much, and does it all in the genre of bedtime story." -- D. Jeffrey Bingham professor of historical theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary "Reading The Bible in the Early Church is like being transported across time to experience Scripture the way the first believers would have encountered it. In this excellent, accessible book, Justo Gonzalez allows us to see the Bible come together before our eyes from separate scrolls, to codices, to the printing press. But he doesn't stop there; he immerses us in the world of early Christians to show us what their relationship with Scripture was like in everyday practice, worship, and interpretation. This book is a wonderful introductory resource that fosters gratitude for the generations that preserved and passed down the Bible to us." -- Karen R. Keen founder of the Redwood Center for Spiritual Care and Education, Garland, Texas "Justo L. Gonzalez has gifted us in The Bible in the Early Church with a very personal, clear, and erudite introduction to the writing, use, and transmission of the biblical text for the life of the church. He explains from a historical and faith framework the special place and function of the Bible in the worship, education, and social order of the church. He enlightens us also concerning models of interpretation used in the past to understand three crucial themes in Scripture: creation, the exodus, and the Word. Dr. Gonzalez hopes that the lessons learned from this past may be transformed into new lessons for the future. This book should be a most welcome addition to introductory courses on the Bible in theological schools and universities as well as in parochial settings." -- Alberto L. Garcia professor emeritus of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin