What is Bible?

The present volume addresses the surprising lack of scholarly discussion of the use and meaning of the terms, “Bible” and “biblical.” It highlights not only the differing, contrasting, and even opposing ways in which the terms “Bible” and “biblical” are used in scholarly discourse but engages scholars from various countries with different religious orientations and from different schools of thought in reflections on the terms at hand from their particular perspectives. The contributions highlight the key differences between Jewish and Christian understandings of Bible and canon. Bible and biblical are theological concepts, not historical or linguistic ones. The language of “Bible” and “biblical” is appropriate and indeed necessary in theological discourses but should be avoided in historical, archaeological, or linguistic contexts.