The phrase “religions of the Book” is often used to describe Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, emphasizing their reliance on sacred writings. For Judaism, this is the Talmud and Hebrew Bible, mostly corresponding to the Christian Old Testament. For Islam, it is the Quran.
But is Christianity truly a “religion of the Book” in the same way that Judaism and Islam are? According to John Barton, an Oxford biblical scholar and author of A History of the Bible, the answer is more complex than it might seem.
