The 19 papers portray the centrality of the Bible, both as an object of study and as an instrument of argument, in the Arabic Churches and in their relations with early Islam. It was a major source of Christian polemical and apologetic arguments, and was attacked and defended for its integrity and authenticity as a God-given word. Among the topics are the Paradise story and its exegesis in the Arabic Apocalypse of Peter, `Ammar al-Basri on the alleged corruption of the gospels, and a Nestorian Arabic Pentateuch used in western Islamic lands. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)