How to Read the Bible as Literature: . . . and Get More Out of It

A solid resource for the student and/or teacher of theology. Far too many readers of Scripture do not understand the different approaches necessary to for the different genres. Among Evangelical Christians (Yes, I am unashamedly one of them.) there is the propensity to pour the entire Bible into a pot, stir it up, and then proclaim, "I interpret it all literally." "Read the Bible as Literature" exposes the inherent need to differentiate and read based upon literary types. I heartily recommend this book for both the laity and clergy.

Ryken's book, written by an Evangelical professor of literature, is an excellent introduction to reading the Bible. It is a short and simple handbook, separated into categories of biblical literature, which will help the reader understand how the different genres (types) of literature in the Bible "work." This is not a book on "interpreting" the Bible, but on "reading" the Bible. Many Christians miss that reading should always precede interpretation. Reading involves more than words and grammar, we have to learn how genres work. Some genres we have to learn to appreciate (such as how to "read" the poetry of Emerson). Others are written so close to our methods of normal communication they come easily (such as newspapers or popular novels). The Bible contains genre which seems familiar (historical narrative), but some of the narrative leaves the reader with the feeling that she didn't quite "get it." Other genres in the Bible are terribly foreign; Hebrew poetry is dramatically different than English, prophecy is often completely alien to Western readers. By helping us understand how these types of literature communicate their message, Ryken helps us read the Bible in a way which makes it understandable. I have not yet found an Evangelical book which accomplishes this task better than Ryken's. I heartily commend it.

As the author notes, the Bible is not a theological outline with proof texts attached. He states that we have been so preoccupied with the hermeneutical question of how to interpret what the Bible says that we have been left impoverished in techniques to describe and interact with the text itself. I have found this to be true in my life. This book brings out the richness of the Bible in introducing its literary forms and allowing the reader to get more out of the Bible as a result. It is a quick and interesting read which I recommend for any one interested in knowing more about this great book.

Ryken does well with his introduction to the Bible as literature. This work is clear and tight, the way such a book ought to be. Perhaps its greatest virtue is that it works within the traditional western categories of literature, explaining them all along (for those of us who don't remember everything from our school days!). As such, the ideas and terms will ring familiar, at least faintly, with most of us educated in the States, and it will offer a sound introduction to the Bible as literature. With this said, though, perhaps the greatest weakness of this book is that same characteristic. Traditional categories are a good place to start, but the reader must, at some point, go beyond these into the more Hebrew-specific realm of reading. The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament truly is, despite some opinion, a masterful work, but to understand it as such one must become familiar with just how it works. Wonderfully, there are writers, such as Robert Alter and Adele Berlin, who have written well on precisely this topic. In the end, this book is a great place to start. It offers a well-grounded foundation for reading the Bible literarily, and as long as the reader knows its strengths and limitations, it will serve him well.

This book will increase your hability to undertand the Bible. It will help you to consider the biblical narratives according to their different structures... A must-have !