Monday, 23 April 2007

Recommended Reading - Print.

I've finally put some recommended books in the sidebar, so I thought I'd add a few notes on them.

Books for the Whole Course

How to Read the Bible Book by Book - Fee and Stuart
Takes a chapter on each book, giving a brief overview, tips on interpretation and a guide to each section. As such it's more of a reference work than anything else, but a very useful way to get familiar with the different books in the bible.

The Language and Imagery of the Bible - Caird
Probably the most difficult book on the list, but one of the best I've read, and very influential on me personally. As the title suggests it looks at how the bible uses language, rather than trying to tell you what it is saying.

How to Read the Bible For All it's Worth - Fee and Stuart
The popular and original book by Fee and Stuart looking at how to interpret the different writing styles we find in scripture. Some find it a bit of a slog, but it's well written and very persuasive.


Books for the Old Testament

Genesis to Jesus
- Burke
The easiest to read book on the list, but brilliant at giving an overview of the story of the Old Testament and fitting it all together. If what happens between Moses and David, and then David and Jesus is a blur this is the book for you.

A Critical Introduction to the Old Testament - Anderson
There are numerous introductions to the Old Testament, but I've always found this a useful single volume covering the kind of material you would find in the introduction to an individual commentary.

Introducing the Old Testament - John Drane
Another good introduction to the Old Testament. Drane's book is one of the most popular, no doubt due to it's objective style. Cutting back on some of his lecturing to pioneer evangelism to spiritual seekers.

I'll cover online resources at a later date.

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