Where Did My Bible Come From?
The Candler Foundry in partnership with Peachtree Presbyterian Church
Course Information
Course Dates: September 21, 2023, September 27- November 1, 2023
Course Time: Launch Event- Thursday, 9/21 (In Person, Emory University)
Wednesdays, 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM EDT (Hybrid, Peachtree Presbyterian)
Course Description
Where Did My Bible Come From? Exploring the History of the Printed Bible through the Rare Books of Pitts Theology Library, Emory University
If you search on Amazon for “The Bible,” you will quickly be overwhelmed with decisions to make. What translation do you want? Or perhaps you want a paraphrase? Do you want a Study Bible? If so, which kind? Do you want a New Testament only? Perhaps with the Psalms? Perhaps a full Bible with the Apocrypha? Should your Bible include the traditional chapter and verse numbers?
All of these choices point to the role humans have played in collecting, translating, shaping, and presenting a book that we commonly refer to as “The Bible.” Originally the Bible was a group of individual stories, letters, hymns, poetry, and sermons, written primarily in Hebrew and Greek, with no consistent book names, chapter or verse numbers, or explanatory notes. How did we get from there to this plethora of options on Amazon? This class will invite students to consider carefully the history of the development of the Bible as a book. Through hands-on experience with Pitts Theology Library’s world-renowned rare book collection, we will explore how the Bible has changed over the centuries, identify the key people who collected, translated, edited, and printed the Bible, and consider how the decisions these people made shaped how our modern Bibles look and read. But the class is not merely a walk through history (though it will be a fun walk!). We will also ask what this human process means for communities that claim the Bible is the singular word of God. Each part of the printed page of your Bible has its own story. We will look at these individual stories and ask what role they play in our understanding of God’s story that unfolds in the Bible.
For more information, please email our Coordinator of Courses in the Community, Damellys Sacriste, at candlerfoundry@emory.edu.
Access to Pitts Digital Essentials
Explore your theological questions
As a registered participant in the Courses in the Community program, you get 1 year of free digital access to the premier theological library in North America. You can use your digital account to research topics from this course, explore theological questions, and more! On the start date of your course, you will receive an invitation to set your password and gain access using the email you registered for the course with.
Please view the “Login Instructions” below for more information.
Meet the Instructor
Dr. Richard “Bo” Adams
Dr. Richard Manly Adams, Jr., known as “Bo” to most of his colleagues, directs the collections, staff, and vision of Pitts Theology Library, one of the premier theological libraries in North America. He also teaches courses at Candler, focused primarily on research methods, the history of reading practices, and the changing tools of ministry in the digital age. Trained as a New Testament scholar, a software developer, and a librarian, Adams’s research and teaching interests are in understanding reading communities, reading technologies, and reading practices, both ancient and modern. He is on the editorial board of Theological Librarianship at the American Theological Library Association, and is a member of the American Library Association and the Society of Biblical Literature.
If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Adams at rmadams@emory.edu.
Tell Us How We’re Doing!
Your feedback is important to us! Throughout your time in this course, you are encouraged to let us know how we are doing. Please click on the button below to submit a short survey or submit any comments you would like to share with our team. We look forward to serving you!
Courses in the Community: On Demand
Please check this section regularly for your weekly course recordings and important updates. If you are experiencing any delays or issues, please email our Coordinator of Digital Initiatives, Cristha Lea at candlerfoundry@emory.edu.
