New Resources

I picked up a couple of new resources that I'll be using for the remainder of the course, to give me a few different angles. 'The Bible Book:A User's Guide' is by my namesake Nick Page, author of the thought provoking 'And Now Let's Move into a Time of Nonsense' and the ultimately disappointing 'Church Invisible'. Page can be quite humorous at times, and the layout is pretty accessible. The other book is Douglas Connelly's 'The Bible for Blockheads'. I'm less familiart with Connelly, but like Page's book the majority of the text is given over to going through each book by book - a bit like the course.

I should point out that neither of these are particularly academic works, but a lot of thought has gone into how to present the information. Both are on offer at the Good News Centre at the moment.

Extra Resources for Judges

Just a couple of extra resources that I've come across since my earlier post. Firstly, I came across a book review for the snappily titled "Compositional Strategy of the Book of Judges: An Inductive, Rhetorical Study". It's a bit complex, but gives you an idea of the differing positions of one aspect of studying Judges - its composition and structure.

A slightly easier read is my, highly tenous, compare and contrast piece on Judges and Pulp Fiction. I had a ball writing it at least.

Finally, characters are also involved in the not-at-all-theologically-stretching-but-a-damn-good-laugh-anyway Bible Fight games. SUrely with Samson you're on to a winner?

Resources for Numbers

I promised at the end of May to post some resources for Numbers, but I've been surprised to find that there are so few (other than the book itself).

One excellent commentary on the book is by Mary Douglas who I mentioned in the session on Leviticus. I decided to splash out for the book on this one and have really enjoyed it. Numbers is far more interesting than you might think at first glance!

Otherwise though there's a bit of a dearth of information aside from the recommended reading (see sidebar). So why not go easy and play one of these Bible Fight games instead?

The Numbers session of "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years" is taking place on Monday (25th June) at 7:30 at 5 Meadow Lane.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

I've missed all the sessions so far is it too late to join in?
No, each session is designed to stand alone, so you can come to as many, or as few as works for you. Notes are available for the previous sessions if you want to read about sessions you've missed, but there's no need to "catch up" if you've missed earlier sessions.

Why five and a half years?
Well there are 66 books in the bible (at least according to protestants), and we're going to do a book a month in order. 66 months equals 5½ years.

Do you really expect people to commit to five years?
No. I'm anticipating that people will dip in and out depending on what they are interested in, what else they have on, how much they have enjoyed the sessions they have been to so far, and also whether or not they are in a busy period. The advantage of going through book by book is that we can also re-launch when we get to the start of the New Testament. But it's also about putting something on for those who are in for the long haul.

Can anyone come?
Theoretically yes, although it'll probably be most helpful for those who have been Christians for quite a while. Conversely, it may not be the most helpful thing in the world for those who have only become Christians fairly recently.

Do we have to have read the whole book before we come?
No, but this is probably the best way to get the most out of a session. I do recognise, though, that people have busy lives and that some of the books are very long. In any case even taking a cursory glance through the book in question, to get a feel for its flow and remind you of its content would be helpful.

Are you really going to spend as long on Nahum as on Genesis?
Bizarrely yes. The thing is that although everyone says all the books of the Bible are important, most people's practice demonstrates that they don't really believe it. But I'm struck by the fact that someone, somewhere thought the more ignored books were important, and I'm keen to find out why, and what that says about our faith today. Besides when was the last time you heard anyone discuss Obadiah?

Will all the sessions follow the same format?
Yes and no. Whilst my interests and patterns will inevitably mean that many things are approached the same way, the variation in the books themselves will lead to differences in how each session is presented. For example, with the smaller books we'll be able to go into more detail than we would for the longer books. In so doing, a method will be demonstrated that people can take away and apply to any of the longer books they wish to study in more depth. In addition, there are some books where one of the Old Testament's main themes is particularly dominant. On reaching these we'll look at that theme in detail including looking at other relevant texts.

Welcome

Hi and welcome to the "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years" blog.

The catchily titled "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years" is a monthly get together looking at a different book of the bible each month. It's best to think of it as a series of one off events rather than a course you have to commit to. So people can just pick and choose which sessions to come to depending on which books appeal, or which nights they are free.

The idea is to take one book of the bible each month and look at the stories they contain, how and why they were written, issues of interpretation, theology, and that sort of thing. It'll be delivered in a mix of styles including discussion, group work, reading, short talks interactive exercises and of course film.

You'll get the most out of the sessions if you have read the relevant book of the bible beforehand, but it's not compulsory. Updates, resources and a few relevant links and bits and pieces will appear on this site every so often.

Each session will take place on Monday nights at 5 Meadow Lane, Loughborough, starting at 7:30pm

If you've arrived at these ages by chance, hello, and I hope you find something useful.