INTRODUCTION

A Library in a Single Book

The bible is a collection of books-its name comes from the Greek ta biblia, meaning "books"-considered by experts to have been written over the space of several centuries by many different authors.

It was long believed that the Bible offered an objective account of the history of the Hebrew people. Many Jews and Christians still believe this to be true. Analyzing the viewpoints of archaeologists and biblical scholars offers new insight into the historical validity of this account.

The Bible contains writings not only on history, but also theology, philosophy and even poetry. King David himself is said to have written some of the most beautiful pages of the Bible: the Psalms, giving men and women the words to speak to their God.

Hebrew Bible. Psalms. Photo © Canadian Museum of Civilization