Review from previous edition clear and lively . . . a distinguished addition to the series ? Christopher Rowland, University of OxfordVery Short John Riches' book may be, but it is not simple - nor could it be. It is a masterly reduction, without minimizing the problems: indeed, it exposes them as they need to be exposed. ? Canon Eric JamesJohn Riches makes the Bible's strong vitality abundantly apparent ? Tom Butler, Bishop of SouthwarkJohn Riches reminds us that one of the most read books in the world - the Bible - is now most widely read in unfamiliar places - South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, the Philippines, and Peru - by poor and marginalized people. ? Gerald West, University of NatalThis lively book will be read with profit and delight by a wide range of readers. The author's many examples of the ways the Bible has been used and misused in different parts of the world make fascinating, and sometimes disturbing reading. ? Graham Stanton, King's College, London Biografía del autor John Riches was the Chaplain and Fellow at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he taught philosophy of religion from 1968 to 1972. He then taught the New Testament at Glasgow University from 1973 to 2002, with periods as a visiting lecturer in theological colleges in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. Riches' major areas of study have been the Gospels and Paul, with a particular interest in the history of reception of the Bible.