A masterly survey of the grounds on which the Bible should be taken seriously, whether only as a work of fine literature, or through the inspiration of individuals and a community of faith. The author also addresses the difference between the Old and New Testaments in terms of authority - not by a dogmatic assertion, but by focusing on what was different about the way Jesus taught about a relationship with God. This book is both for those who want to assert that the Bible is true because it is the Bible (and challenges them in this simplistic approach by looking at where the Bible actually came from) but also for those who want to ignore the Bible because it is apparently only a book of dogma (and challenges them by asking them to take seriously two millennia of the human quest for the answer to the question of the meaning of life). The Bible is presented as authoritative not because it is the last word of truth, nor even the "Word of God", but because it is the seminal word which should inspire future generations in their quest for meaning. ( )

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