Change of Date / Time

The session on 2 Chronicles that was originally due to be tomorrow (Thursday 1st of May) has been changed to the following Wednesday (7th May). Also meeting at 7:45 for an 8 o'clock start. Sorry for the confusion hope you can still make it.

Month 14 - 2 Chronicles

Following on from last month we're covering 2 Chronicles this month. Resources will be largely the same, although I've picked up a couple of new ones as well so they will hopefully be useful. There's a useful table here plotting the reigns of the different kings and timings of the prophets and so on.

The Monday night group will be on 28th April, I think the other session will happen on the 1st May, although we're looking at an alternative date as a lot of the people who want to come can't make it. Watch this space (or, at least, the one to the right). Both sessions start at 5 Meadow Lane at 7:30. I know that for a while I've been saying that the next session might be the last at Meadow Lane, but this time I really think I mean it. I'm also looking to gradually move the sessions to slightly earlier in the month in case the baby is a few days early (he's due 1st August). In other news, the one and only Mr Stuart Jesson has kindly agreed to cover August's session for me, so that will be a treat for those who are around then.

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.

Month 13 - 1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles marks the start of something new for "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years". For those of us that have been doing this since the start, we're now a year through. I don't know about you guys, but it doesn't seem that long since we sat down to look at Genesis.

But it's also the start of a new group, so welcome to any of you guys who are joining us for the first time. Despite being the 13th book of the Bible, 1 Chronicles is actually quite a good place to start. It's obviously not quite as good as Genesis or Matthew, but there is something to be said for it. I'll say more about that at the sessions.

This month's sessions are happening as follows: Next Thursday 27th March, and the following Monday 31st March. Both kick off at 7:30 at 5 Meadow Lane. The idea is to keep the Monday group going as is, and starting the Thursday group up as fresh, so the content will be slightly different in two sessions to reflect that. By the time we hit Nehemiah, they'll be pretty much identical though.

In terms of resources, Chronicles is not the most over-done book. Other than the text itself there is also 2 Samuel which covers many of these events in its own way. In terms of commentaries there's Peter Ackroyd's on I and II Chronicles which also covers Nehemiah and Ezra. There's actually been a resurgence in interest in Chronicles in recent years so there are a good number of recent commentaries out there. Tyler Williams has a good list of them with some useful comments. Lionel Windsor's online notes are also useful.

Film-wise most films follow Samuel rather than Chronicles which tends to miss out the exploits of David's mighty men and focus on the affair with Bathsheba. There are two films in production about David so it will be interesting to see if either of them reverses the trend.

Month 12 - 2 Kings

February's Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years takes in 2 Kings, the last book in the so called Deuteronomic History. The session is on the 25th February at 5 Meadow Lane, starting at 7:30 as always.

Resources-wise I continue to recommend Genesis to Jesus for those just starting to get their heads around what's going on in this book in particular. I'll be using Hubbard's commentary again, although it wasn't quite as helpful as I'd hoped as well as the Wikipedia article.

But there is a real shortage of film's based on this book, which is strange for a book where there is so much story. I guess most Bible Films have drawn on stories people know from Sunday school as that boosts the likely audience, rather than looking for what might just make the best film overall. I'll probably write a longer article on that over at Bible Films Blog

There's also a useful Samuel, Kings and Chronicles harmony.

Month 11 - 1 Kings

2008 kicks off with a look at 1 Kings, still at 5 Meadow Lane, still at 7:30pm. The date, however, is 21st January (which is a week earlier than the date I gave out at the last session).

Resources-wise, I have to recommend the relevant chapters in Dave Burke's Genesis to Jesus. It's brief, and I probably would question the odd bit these days, but on reading it for the first time all those years ago it dropped a whole load of things into place, and started me down a particular road which has lead me to here.

I'll also be drawing on Hubbard's commentary. though at the moment I have no idea whether it'll be worthy of my attention.

Online material as ever includes the Wikipedia article. There's also a useful Samuel, Kings and Chronicles harmony.

Filmwise, there are only a couple and whilst the Bible Collection's Solomon doesn't get quite as embroiled in the story of the queen of Sheba, as 1959's Solomon and Sheba it still spends more time on that story than perhaps it should. There are also a few animated versions, although one of them is from the Simpsons. The others, though, are of Elijah perhaps the most criminally underfilmed story in the whole Bible. One is by the Testaments series, the other from Friends and Heroes. Finally there is an hilariously stiff and dated version of the Elijah story that appeared in the Living Bible series.

Month 10 - 2 Samuel

Session 10 of Through the Bible in Five an a Half Years is reconvening on the 17th December, just in time for Christmas. 5 Meadow Lane starting at 7:30. I don't want to give too much away but it will feature a clip of Richard Gere in his underpants getting even more undignified that this. (la la la la la la hey...).

Month 9 - 1 Samuel

November's Session will look at 1 Samuel. The date is Monday 19th November, and, as usual, it'll start at 19:30 at 5 Meadow Lane.

I've not really started looking into this yet, so I've not got many resources to discuss. There are, however, plenty of films which deal with bits of Samuel, including the hilarious Richard Gere one, and Peter O'Toole's brief cameo in the recent One Night With the King.

Month 8 - Ruth

As I said after September's session, October's Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years is taking place on Monday 22nd as it's Mel's Birthday the following week. Hope that doesn't catch too many of you by surprise. AS always it's a 7:30 start at 5 Meadow Lane.

In terms of resources, hopefully everyone will find the time to read the book in question this month as it's only 4 short chapters. Of the stuff I've read so far the final paragraph of the brief introduction in the NIV study Bible stands out.

There are a couple of filmy bits too, but I want to use them in this month's session so I won't say too much here!

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?

Month 7 - Judges

September's session will be looking at the book of Judges and will take place on Monday 24th September at 5 Meadow Lane. As usual we'll be starting at 7:30.

I did a study on Judges years a go (when I was a student) so I'm quite intrigued to see how I find it this time around. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the book inspite of the problematic violence.

In terms of resources, I've got hold of a copy of Clinton McCann's commentary, and I can recommend the Tyndale one as well (Cundall and Morris). I also have another one, which is more a collection of essays but the title alludes me.

Film resources for Judges are a little odd. There have been a ton of films on Samson and Delilah including the most famous one by Cecil B. DeMille from 1949 (as per the picture). There have also been a number of hilariously poor ones like the one that star Liz Hurley as Delilah. But no film has ever got the whole of Judges, and in fact, other than Samson, only Gideon's story has been made into a film (and only an obscure one at that). Surely in this post Xena age it's time for a Deborah / Jael film? One film that is certainly not a direct film interpretation of Judges, but does have a lot in common with it is Pulp Fiction but more on that when I've had a chance to revisit it.

Not had time to peruse the online resources, but if I turn up anything significant I'll be sure to post it.

Month 6 - Joshua

Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years continues tonight with the book of Joshua. I have to confess it's probably my least favourite book of the Bible, but as a result I'm certainly looking forward to this session as I think I have some important things to discuss and I'm interested in everyone else's perspectives.

In terms of resources I've focussed on printed matter mainly for this session looking at two very different perspectives - Richard Hess's commentary and Gerd Ludemann's "The Unholy in Holy Scripture: The Dark Side of the Bible", as well as the usual resources.

Anyway the session kicks off at 7:30pm at 5 Meadow Lane tonight (20th August)

Month 5 - Deuteronomy

Session 5 of Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years is on the 23rd July looking at Deuteronomy.

As ever there are a few resources I'd like to point out in addition to the material in the recommended reading in the sidebar.

In terms of published works, Philip Yancey writes a great chapter on this book in "The Bible Jesus Read". It's a great and insightful read, (although it has scant regard for the Documentary Hypothesis) and I only really realised in looking for accompanying film clips that it's Yancey's narration, rather than a particular film, which has formed the dominant mental image in my mind.

Speaking of the Documentary Hypothesis, Wikipedia not only has an article on Deuteronomy itself, but also on the possible writer behind it - the Deuteronomist.

The Deuteronomy session is on Monday 23rd July, at 5 Meadow Lane, starting at 7:30pm. It'd be great to see you there.

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.

Month 4 - Numbers

Session 4 of "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years" - Numbers - is taking place on Monday 25th June at 7:30 at 5 Meadow Lane.

I'll add some resources some time in the next few weeks.

Thoughts on Levitcus

I really enjoyed last night's session on Leviticus. In some ways it's a shame that my reading has to race onto Numbers rather than look more at some of the issues we discussed last night more deeply.

I mentioned Dame Mary Douglas last night whose work on Leviticus was apparently quite groundbreaking. There are a few obituaries at The Guardian and The Times. You can also read summaries of her work by David Biale or this unnamed author.

Better still, some of her work is available on Google Books, so you can read bits for yourself of her main works "Leviticus as Literature", and "Purity and Danger".

Edit: Finally, anyone wanting to read or find Steve Chalke's thoughts about atonement should read the article he wrote for Christianity and Renewal Magazine. He says far more here than he does in the "Lost Message of Jesus" book

Month 3 - Leviticus

Session 3 of "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years" - Leviticus - is taking place on Monday 28th May at 7:30. The venue (as always) is 5 Meadow Lane.

Resources for Leviticus are a lot harder to come by than for Genesis and Exodus. There are obviously the usual recommended reading (see right), and of course the best place to start is the book of Leviticus.

In terms of print resources, a few years ago I found work by Rene Girard and Gil Baille useful. They are anthropologists with particular interest in sacrifice. As for dedicated commentaries, Martin Goldsmith's Leviticus to Numbers turned out to be a disappointment, The Daily Study Bible one might be worth a look.

Online resources are a little easier to come by. Wikipedia's article is a good starting point, although as ever you need to take what you read there with a pinch of salt. Leviticus has been in the news more recently because of the discovery of an old fragment of text from the book. You can read more about it at the Codex blog, although much of the discussion revolves around the subsequent alleged mistreatment of one of the professors involved. Tyler also surveys commentaries on Levitcus for anyone interested in buying one.

Sadly also, films are none too plentiful. The best place to look is films about Judaism rather than Biblical epics, such as The Ten Commandments. I hope to use a clip from Ushpizin on Monday, one of the best films I've seen in recent years looking at faith. I imagine there are a number of others that would also relate to Leviticus such as Trembling Before G-d.

Month 2 - Exodus

This month's Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years is looking at Exodus. The session is actually going to run twice with the first presentation Monday 30th April being repeated on Wednesday 2nd May. Both will take place at at 5 Meadow Lane and start at 7:30pm.

In addition to the book of Exodus itself and the general recommended reading (see side panel), here are a few resources you might like to check out:

There are numerous commentaries on Exodus, but one book that really challenged my thinking was Jonathan Kirsch's Moses: A Life. Tyler Williams' Codex site lots of useful information about commentaries on Exodus.

Last month I mentioned the Bible Dudes website, and it's relevant once again. Bible Dudes is a fantastic site, funny and light-hearted, whilst giving a solid introduction to certain aspects of the bible. The Biblical Studies pages will be particularly relevant for "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years". Picture Bill and Ted doing Biblical Studies rather than basic history, and then imagine someone parodying that but making the information reliable and informative and you're about there. Easily the most interesting and readable introduction ever crafted.

In terms of film resources, there are a number on the subject that are worth getting hold of. The classic is Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 classic The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston. At least half of it is pure fiction, but, strangely, it still informs how most of us think about these stories even if we haven't seen it. There's an amusing film at YouTube which turns footage from this film into a spoof trailer for a high school drama - Ten Things I Hate About Commandments.

The story has also been revisited three times in the last decade or so. The Bible collection kicked it all off in 1996 in Moses starring Ben Kingsley. Two years later Dreamworks released the animated The Prince of Egypt, and then last year a US TV mini-series was released also called The Ten Commandments. For an alternative approach, each of Kieslowski's ten Dekalog films deals with a different one of the commandments. There are two articles about Moses in film at the Journal of Religion and Film.

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.

Month 2 - Exodus - Dates

Due to popular demand we're going to experiment with running the same session twice for a while. The first time through will continue to be on Mondays, the second will start on Wednesdays.

So we’ll be looking at Exodus on Monday 30th April and Wednesday 2nd May. It would be great to see you at one of the sessions. I’ll update this site shortly with some more information, as well as posting some reflections / notes from Monday's session.