John Barton is a distinguished scholar in the interpretation of Holy Scripture, based at the University of Oxford. His work delves deeply into biblical theology, particularly examining prophetic texts and their perception in ancient Israel after the exile. Barton's writings offer profound insights into the spiritual and theological messages within biblical works, focusing on their intricate interpretation.
The book is a reprint of a classic work originally published in 1845, preserving the historical context and themes from its time. It offers readers a glimpse into the past, showcasing the language, style, and cultural elements of the era. This edition provides an opportunity for modern audiences to engage with the text as it was first presented, making it a valuable addition for both collectors and those interested in 19th-century literature.
In this informative lecture, Barton discusses the distribution of plants across the globe, including their relationship to climate and geological features. Drawing upon his extensive research, he unveils fascinating insights into the rich diversity of vegetation around the world. Botanists, geographers, and naturalists alike will find this lecture both engaging and enlightening.
John Barton used to live in the non-disabled world. Then he developed symptoms
of an inherited condition that affected his mobility, closely followed by
Parkinson's disease. John is an accredited psychotherapist and former
journalist and in this book he explores the physical, political and
psychological meanings of disability.
From a distinguished Oxford scholar and the author of A History of the Bible, an examination of how biblical translation works and why it matters. Throughout history, most Jewish and Christian believers have understood scripture not in the languages in which it was first written but rather in their own—in translation. In The Word, acclaimed Bible scholar John Barton explores how saints and scholars have negotiated the profound challenges of translating the Bible while remaining faithful to the original. In addition to considering questions of literal versus free translation, literary style, inclusive language, and more, Barton draws out scriptural translation’s role at critical junctures in religious history. Far from a mere academic exercise, biblical translation has shaped how we answer faith’s most enduring questions about the nature of God, the existence of the soul, and the possibility of salvation
Low-carbon electricity systems require energy storage on all time scales to accommodate the variations in solar and wind power. The research described in this book builds on recent research into nickel-iron battery-electrolysers or “battolysers” as both short-term and long-term energy storage. For short-term cycling as a battery, the internal resistances and time constants have been measured, including the component values of resistors and capacitors in equivalent circuits. The dependence of these values on state-of-charge and temperature have also been measured. The results confirm that a nickel-iron cell can hold 25% more than its nominal charge. However, this increased capacity disappears at temperatures of 60°C and may be dissipated quickly by self-discharge. When operating as an electrolyser for long-term energy storage, the experiments have established the importance of a separation gap between each electrode and the membrane for gas evolution and established the optimum size of this gap as approximately 1.25 mm. The nickel-iron cell has acceptable performance as an electrolyser for Power-to-X energy conversion but its large internal resistance limits voltage efficiency to 75% at a 5 hour charge and discharge rate, with or without a bubble separation membrane.
Exploring the richness of Biblical narratives reveals their depth beyond childhood interpretations. These stories emerge from a sophisticated literary tradition, articulated in expressive Hebrew and interwoven with diverse writings. The book encourages readers to engage with the narratives using adult perspectives, uncovering often overlooked dimensions, wit, and humor. By doing so, it highlights the universal appeal and contemporary relevance of these tales, inviting a fresh appreciation for their complexity and significance.
This book tells the story of the Bible, how it came to be constructed and how it has been understood, from its remote beginnings down to the present. John Barton describes how the narratives, laws, proverbs, prophecies, poems and letters which comprise the Bible were written and when, what we know - and what we cannot know - about their authors and what they might have meant, as well as how these extraordinarily disparate writings relate to each other. He sheds new light on even the most familiar passages, exposing not only the sources and traditions behind them, but also the busy hands of the scribes and editors who assembled and reshaped them. Untangling the process by which some texts which were regarded as holy, became canonical and were included, and others didn't, Barton demonstrates that the Bible is not the fixed text it is often perceived to be, but the result of a long and intriguing evolution. Tracing its dissemination, translation and interpretation in Judaism and Christianity from Antiquity to the rise of modern biblical scholarship, Barton elucidates how meaning has both been drawn from the Bible and imposed upon it. Part of the book's originality is to illuminate the gap between religion and scripture, the ways in which neither maps exactly onto the other, and how religious thinkers from Augustine to Luther and Spinoza have reckoned with this. Barton shows that if we are to regard the Bible as 'authoritative', it cannot be as believers have so often done in the past
'With emotional and psychological insight, Barton unlocks this sleeping giant
of our culture. In the process, he has produced a masterpiece.' Sunday Times
The Bible is the central book of Western culture. For the two faiths which
hold it sacred, it is the bedrock of their religion, a singular authority on
what to believe and how to live. For non-believers too, it has a commanding
status: it is one of the great works of world literature, woven to an
unparalleled degree into our language and thought. This book tells the story
of the Bible, explaining how it came to be constructed and how it has been
understood, from its remote beginnings down to the present. John Barton
describes how the narratives, laws, proverbs, prophecies, poems and letters
which comprise the Bible were written and when, what we know - and what we
cannot know - about their authors and what they might have meant, as well as
how these extraordinarily disparate writings relate to each other. His
incisive readings shed new light on even the most familiar passages, exposing
not only the sources and traditions behind them, but also the busy hands of
the scribes and editors who assembled and reshaped them. Untangling the
process by which some texts which were regarded as holy, became canonical and
were included, and others didn't, Barton demonstrates that the Bible is not
the fixed text it is often perceived to be, but the result of a long and
intriguing evolution. Tracing its dissemination, translation and
interpretation in Judaism and Christianity from Antiquity to the rise of
modern biblical scholarship, Barton elucidates how meaning has both been drawn
from the Bible and imposed upon it. Part of the book's originality is to
illuminate the gap between religion and scripture, the ways in which neither
maps exactly onto the other, and how religious thinkers from Augustine to
Luther and Spinoza have reckoned with this. Barton shows that if we are to
regard the Bible as 'authoritative', it cannot be as believers have so often
done in the past.
