This classic work is an ideal introduction to how the Bible was written, transmitted, copied and declared to be authoritative by various churches. It presents a concise and accessible guide to all aspects of biblical study: what is the Bible?; how biblical writers wrote; the making of both Old and New Testaments; the making of the Apocrypha; the canon and study of the Bible; the use of the Bible in social, moral and political contexts. Entirely revised and updated, this third edition takes account of developments in scholarship since the appearance of the second edition in 2005.