Includes bibliographical references and index

Introduction: Topical questions and approaches -- pt. 1: Bible and book in the ancient world -- The languages of the Bible -- Writing in the ancient world and in the Bible -- Written and oral transmission -- Schools and scribes -- Translation in the ancient world and the translation of the Bible -- The sacred book -- The School of Alexandria and its philology -- pt. 2: Collections of biblical books. Canonical and non-canonical books -- The literary history of the canon of biblical books -- The social history of the biblical canon -- Early Christian literature: collections of canonical and apocryphal books -- pt. 3: History of the text and versions of the Old and New Testament -- The Hebrew text of the Old Testament -- The Greek Septuagint version -- Aramaic versions of the Old Testament. The Targumim -- The Greek text of the New Testament -- Ancient versions of the Bible: Old and New Testaments -- pt. 4: Textual criticism of the Old and New Testament -- Textual criticism of the Old Testament -- Textual criticism of the New Testament -- Canonical criticism: The text and the canon -- Pt: 5: Hermeneutics. Text and interpretation -- The Old Testament interprets itself -- The Interpretation of the Old Testament in the Greek Septuagint version -- The interpretation of the Old Testament in the Aramaic versions or Targumim -- The interpretation of the Old Testament in apocryphical literature. The exegetical character of apocalyptic literature -- The interpretation of the Old Testament in Qumran writings -- The interpretation of the Old Testament in Hellenistic Jewish literature. Philo of Alexandria and Flavius Josephus -- Rabbinic hermeneutics -- Christian Hermeneutics -- Modern hermeneutics