The development of the biblical canons of both Judaism and Christianity was a complex selection process. McDonald (emeritus, New Testament studies, Acadia Divinity School, Nova Scotia, Canada) explains how writings that clarified each religion's faith and mission (e.g., the Jewish Mishnah, Christian Gospels) were incorporated into the Hebrew Bible, Christian Old and New Testaments, or marginalized and ultimately excluded. He stresses that noncanonical writings can be appreciated without having to expand the canon. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)