J. Scott Duvall

This short ebook explores how the Bible came to be, with fascinating chapters on divine inspiration, the Septuagint, the shaping of the canon, translation, and much more.

From the Back Cover
Uncover the True Story of the Greatest Story Ever Told

Christians believe that the Bible is divine communication--God's message to human beings. But how did ancient people capture the very words of God? How were these words passed down? Why were some books included in the Bible while others were not? And how do we know that these texts have been faithfully translated over the ages?

Discover the answers to these questions and more in How the Bible Came to Be. In this succinct ebook you'll find up-to-date biblical scholarship from leading evangelical scholars, covering the inspiration, canonization, translation, and transmission of both the Old and the New Testament. From the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint to the first English translations and the most recent translations, How the Bible Came to Be immerses you in the fascinating story of the most important book of all time.

Highlights
“Although the issues are complex, the net result is that 99 percent of the autographic text is well established. And of the remainder, although the interpretation of hundreds of passages is at stake, no cardinal doctrine depends on textually dubious texts.” (source)

“The ultimate test of canonicity is not whether a book is confirmed by a church council, or written by a prophet or an apostle, or historically reliable, or that its doctrine is in agreement with the rest of Scripture (though these are all important confirmations of canonicity). The ultimate test is whether a book is inspired by the Holy Spirit: ‘all Scripture is inspired by God’ (2 Tim. 3:16 NASB). As Bruce Metzger insightfully observes, the canon is not an authoritative collection of books, but a collection of authoritative books.” (source)

“The Greek word translated ‘God-breathed’ is theopneustos, a term possibly coined by Paul himself to express the nature of inspiration. The King James Version rendering, ‘inspired by God,’ finds it roots in the Latin Vulgate (divinitus inspirata). Unfortunately ‘in-spired’ might suggest that God ‘breathed into’ Scripture its authority, while theopneustos more likely means that God ‘breathed out’ Scripture. Inspiration does not mean divine validation of a human work, but God’s self-revelation of his own purpose and will.” (source)

“Inerrancy must be seen as a philosophical presupposition rather than an empirically verifiable fact.” (source)

“An English translation of Scripture remains God’s Word even though it changes all the words (from Hebrew/Greek to English) if it accurately reproduces the meaning of the text. ‘God’s Word’ ultimately means the conceptual content that the author intended to communicate through Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic sentences.” (source)… (more)

Wow! This is an excellent book on how to study the Bible. Authors give clear, simple, and basic instructions for the layman on how to uncover the Bible message. This book seems to cover every area of the exegetical method scholars use. It is also a reference tool to look back and check any method you need to brush up on or any areas may have forgotten within a method. There are also exercises to do after each chapter that are really challenging. Shucks! I was stuck on the first challenge question which was to "Find a minimum of thirty observations in Act 1:8." The instructions further read that these are not theological observations that are being requested but observations on the passage itself, "For example," the authors instruct, "an observation would be to note that the passage starts off with a conjunction." Not that easy for me. I kept on thinking of how it should interpreted.

Note, there is also and excellent workbook with challenging exercise and also 3 DVDs with 22 lessons, and both workbook and DVD's which I highly recommend along with the book.

This is an excellent book not only for beginners, for whom it is specifically written, but also for the seasoned self-study laymen to review, remind, and further ground one in the proper method of interpreting Scripture.… (more)

The Discovery Series is a series of small books 6 inches high and contains about 32 pages each, thus they can be easily “lost” in the shelves. Each one is about an aspect of Christian living. We have four such books by different authors. The first is Clinging to Hope in the Storm, by Leslie Fields, (248.4/FIE). The second is Who is My Neighbor? by Marlene Graves (248.4/GRA); the third is Making Decisions God’s Way by J. Scott Duvall (248.4/DUV) and the last, Comparison: the Thief of Joy by Jennifer Grant (2484/GRA). Each one is designed to help a Christian in his daily life.… (more)

Summary: A thematic approach to the book of Revelation focusing around ten key themes which answer the basic question of "who is Lord."

I think I've just found my new "go to" book when someone asks for help in understanding the book of Revelation. Instead of getting engaged in systems of trying to figure out who in contemporary history might be one of the Beasts, or the significance of the seals, trumpets, and bowls, J. Scott Duvall focuses on themes running through Revelation centering around the purpose of proclaiming that Jesus, not Caesar is Lord and will triumph, to the encouragement of a suffering and persecuted church.

Duvall thinks that taking context seriously is vital. Revelation cannot mean something to us that it didn't mean to the original recipients. Duvall helps us understand how the seven churches faced pressure from Rome, from the Jews, and from false teachers. He emphasizes reading the book as a letter, as prophecy, and as apocalyptic, or an unveiling. He proposes that in interpreting that we try to understand what the book would mean to its original recipients, that we take the text seriously, but not always literally, since much is symbol, and that we focus on the theological message of each vision, particularly around the truth that "God is in control, and he will successfully accomplish his purposes." Also, he offers a kind of theological glossary which he terms "Cast of Characters in the Divine Drama of Revelation," offering a brief explanations of everything from "abyss" to "woman clothed with the sun."

A chapter is devoted to each of the ten themes:

God: "The Almighty"
Worship: " You are Worthy."
The People of God: "His Called, Chosen, and Faithful Followers"
The Holy Spirit: "The Seven Spirits before His Throne"
Our Enemies: "The Dragon Stood on the Shore of the Sea"
The Mission: "My Two Witnesses"
Jesus Christ: "The Lamb, Who Was Slain"
Judgment: "How Long, Sovereign Lord?"
The New Creation: "I Saw a New Heaven and a New Earth"
Perseverance: "To the One Who is Victorious"

Each chapter traces the theme through the whole book, summarizing main points, offering key texts and a reading plan and community group questions. Indeed, the clarity of the text, the inclusion of this reading plan and questions makes this an excellent text for a class or small group, as well as an adjunct to personal study.

The thing that stood out to me most was the idea of the greatness of and ultimate victory of the Triune God. At the same time, chapters on the people of God, our enemies, our mission, and judgment emphasize the call to faith and faithfulness in witness, which has often been accompanied by suffering. Much of the global church needs to understand this. I found myself wondering if there is also a message for the American church in coming years. At very least, the challenge to faithful witness, vigilance, and a preparedness to suffer is a clear message of scripture.

I found myself pausing at times in worship and wonder on reading passages on the greatness of God, and the destiny of his people. One example from the chapter on "The New Creation":

The new creation will be the fulfillment of God's promise to live among us. This idea can be a bit scary until you let it sink in that every good thing that exists in our lives now comes from the Lord. He is our loving Father, who only wants to give us good things. He wants to be with us and wants us to be with him and to experience the perfect community, the very reality we were created for. In fact, all our longings and desires for life and goodness and beauty will be completely fulfilled in the new creation because we will be dwelling in God's presence....Haven't you ever wanted a short time of such peace and joy and love to last forever because it was so wonderful, almost a fleeting glimpse of heaven? We long for that world, and that longing comes from God, and he intends to fulfill these longings and desires. He will keep his promises (p. 176).

This book makes both a great first book on reading Revelation as well as a helpful resource for deeper study and for those who would teach others. It models a good example of doing biblical theology in tracing great biblical themes running through this book in a way that at the same time is consistent with the context and content of Revelation.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (more)