Regardless of the cost, everyone (scholar, minister, and layperson) interested in the serious study of the Bible should buy this book, read it, and keep it handy.
—Tremper Longman III, Westminster Theological Journal
Roger Beckwith’s long out-of-print study of the Old Testament canon is on a scale to match H.E. Ryle’s classic work, first published in 1892. But Mr. Beckwith has the advantage of writing after the Qumran (and other) discoveries; and he has also made full use of all the available sources, including biblical manuscripts, rabbinical and patristic literature, taking into account the seldom studied Syriac material, as well as the Greek and Latin material.
It is a pleasure to commend a work of high scholarship on an important subject which cries out for fresh and up-to-date treatment.
—F.F. Bruce
This book, the result of many years’ study, is a major work of scholarship on a subject which has been neglected in recent times. It is both historical and theological, but the author’s first consideration has been to make a thorough and unprejudiced historical investigation. One of his most important concerns—and one that is crucial for all students of Judaism, and Christians in particular—is to decide when the limits of the Jewish canon were settled. In the answer to this question lies an important key to the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, and the resultant beliefs of the New Testament church. Further, in our own day any answers to questions about the state of the canon in the New Testament period would help open a way through the present ecumenical (and inter-faith) impasse on the subject.
Praise for the Print Edition
Beckwith has produced a marvelous historical and theological study of the canon, certainly one of the most foundational issues of theology and biblical studies.
—Tremper Longman III, Westminster Theological Journal
It is the most comprehensive study of the history of the Old Testament canon written to date… characterized by its erudition and lucidity… will become the point of departure for all future discussion of the scholarly issues it treats.
—S.Z. Leiman
…we can all be grateful for the sheer volume of information compiled by Beckwith.
—James A. Sanders, Theology Today
Additional Information
- Title: The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and its Background in Early Judaism
- Author: Roger Beckwith
- 528 pages
- SPCK Publishing, 1985
About the Author
Roger Beckwith is Warden of Latimer House, Oxford, and Lecturer in Liturgy at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.
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Sample Pages from the Print Edition