Quotes from John Barton

In Christianity, for example, there are absolutely central doctrines, such as that of the Trinity, that are almost entirely absent from the New Testament; conversely, there are central ideas in the New Testament, such as St Paul's theory of 'salvation by grace through faith', that at least until the Reformation were never part of official orthodoxy at all, and even now are not in the creeds. Similarly

To have as its holy text a mixture of works of many genres Ã¢â'¬â€œ predominantly narratives, aphorisms, poems and letters Ã¢â'¬â€œ introduces great complexity into Christianity.

Protestants have developed theories according to which everything that matters to the religion is somehow present in the Bible, and some have even argued that nothing may be done or believed that the Bible does not explicitly sanction. This, I believe, is an abuse of these texts, which are deeply important for the Christian faith but cannot possibly bear the weight that is sometimes loaded upon them.

Fundamentalist models of scriptural authority Ã¢â'¬â€œ and even official attitudes towards it in non-fundamentalist churches Ã¢â'¬â€œ elide this historical dimension by treating the Bible as in some sense a single book.

It has been popularly assumed that the Bible, bearing the stamp of Divine authority, must be complete, perfect, and unimpeachable in all its parts, and a thousand difficulties and incoherent doctrines have sprung out of this theory.23

All, or almost all, of the books were complete by the age of Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE).

Reading these books raises what will be a recurring theme: given that they tell a story rather than give instruction on what to believe or to do, the path from the biblical text to religious belief and practice in Judaism or Christianity today is far from straightforward.

but even such apparently universal texts as the Ten Commandments were written for and presuppose a society utterly different from our own, and cannot be applied today without extensive interpretation.

This is even more obviously true of the books of the prophets (Chapter 4), which arose from various specific political crises in Israel's history, and in any case often seem to speak in riddles.

especially the Psalms and their obscure origins and uses. The Psalms have been attributed to a number of different periods in the history of Israel, from the time of King David (eleventh or tenth century BCE) down to the age of the Maccabees (second century BCE).

Finally I examine poetic texts (Chapter 5), especially the Psalms and their obscure origins and uses. The Psalms have been attributed to a number of different periods in the history of Israel, from the time of King David (eleventh or tenth century BCE) down to the age of the Maccabees (second century BCE). One important theory suggests that they were used liturgically in the worship of Solomon's Temple, but many may also have arisen as personal prayers.

The earliest surviving texts of this new religion are not Gospels but letters, those of Paul deriving from the 50s CE, twenty years or so after Jesus' crucifixion.

There is a widespread belief that the contents of the Bible were decided at a number of Church councils, no earlier than the fourth century CE, and that they excluded a substantial body of works that the Church authorities regarded as heretical. The third part of the book contests that belief.

The books which were actively excluded (Chapter 11) were in nearly all cases considerably later and less reliable than those that were accepted.

Printed Hebrew Bibles all derive from a single eleventh-century manuscript, whereas all printed New Testaments are based on the comparison of various different manuscripts. The

These beliefs are partly drawn from Scripture, partly not, and the interplay between the surface meaning of the biblical text and the meanings that have been read into it is part of the fascination of biblical study. In

I became intrigued with colour theory. The absurd pronouncements of the Colour Institute, a group that decides what colours are hot each year or season, amused me.

No poem is easily grasped; so why should any reader expect fast results?

Who is the ideal reader? God only knows.

A literary journal is intended to connect writer with reader; the role of the editor is to mediate.

Some readers allow their prejudices to blind them. A good reader knows how to disregard inappropriate responses.

Poets have to be sensitive to their audience, but it does not mean that they censor themselves. I realise my audience is diverse. Some will read with empathy and curiosity while others will take offense.

I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent aside. Even years afterward, I will revisit them if there is something about them that I cannot give up on.

I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The long poem has been a relative constant.