The Bible: enduring truths, lasting influence, complex relationships, and relevant approaches for living.

Jews call the Hebrew Scriptures the “Tanakh” and Christians call them the “Old Testament.” It doesn't take long to see that Jews and Christians view the same set of books differently and interpret these scriptures in unique and at times conflicting ways. The Hebrew Bible for Beginners introduces students to the tremendous influence the Hebrew Bible has had on western society for over two millennia and explores the complexities of reading ancient religious literature today. The book also addresses how certain modern critical approaches may initially be alarming, indeed even shocking, to those who have not been exposed to them, but it tackles the conversation in a respectful fashion. Avoiding jargon and convoluted prose, this highly accessible volume provides textboxes, charts, a timeline, a glossary, and regularly includes artistic renderings of biblical scenes to keep lay and beginning readers engaged.

This text provides a comprehensive and definitive introduction to the literature, cultures, and theologies of the early Jewish and Christian traditions. Designed to be read with selected passages from the Bible and the Apocrypha, An Introduction to the Bible offers essential information to students with little or no experience in the academic study of religion. It will help students gain a solid background for future work in biblical studies. The revised edition includes information regarding new directions in biblical studies, a revised bibliography, and a subject index - as well as maps, charts and photographs. "This volume is pedagogically self-aware. Here speak teachers who live close to the teaching environment. The narrative account of a great deal of material is patient, attentive to detail, willing to pause to provide small instructional clues, all the time keeping the big picture in focus. This second edition of the book attests both to the vitality of its authors and to the positive reception the book has already enjoyed. Given the large cultural crisis upon us, such instruction in a context that reaches beyond 'the choir' is welcome and enormously important. Clear, well organized, up to date, and reflective of reliable scholarly consensus. Most important, I suspect, is the likelihood that its student-users will sign up for more scripture study....[The book] will help students generate not only a beginning with the Bible, but a long-term interest." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. "As most instructors of introductory survey courses in biblical studies will attest, finding a suitable textbook can be quite a challenge. The revised edition of An Introduction to the Bible marks a strong contribution to the field. It is a well-structured, clearly written textbook. The authors incorporate many of the newest discussions regarding the formation and subsequent understandings of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Students using this book will be exposed to the rich content of ancient Near Eastern studies. They will also find themselves challenged to read these classical texts using some of the most recent hermeneutic arguments in circulation....An Introduction to the Bible provides an excellent entry point for a critical approach to the sacred texts of Judaism and Christianity."---C. Shaun Longstreet, Texas A&M University, excerpted from the Review of Biblical Literature, August 2003.

Editor Philip S. Johnston presents the best evangelical thought on the proper interpretation and study of the Bible. Written by a team of international and interdenominational scholars, this resource is designed to set you on your way to responsible biblical interpretation.

The many voices in scripture form a dialogue with readers, which produce theological truths that are larger than the individual parts. This introduction is informed by both literary theory and theology. It groups sections of the whole Bible together by genre. Each section identifies and describes the genre (such as historiography, poetry, prophecy, gospel, letter, apocalypse), and then moves into a discussion about the literary characteristics and theological insights. The words of scripture not only come a long way to find us but like a poem must be read with attention. Poetry doesn’t yield meaning easily, and it doesn’t promise to make sense. We know to look past the words on the page and find the images, tropes, sounds, and metaphors that are meaning-full. This type of writing invites, rather demands, the imagination. We must accept that we will only get so close, but that this is close enough. Our imagination spans the gaps left by sparse language and incomplete narratives. We return again and again, with more information and perhaps more experiences. The words are the same, but we are not; and for that reason there are always new discoveries. “At last, an introduction that students will enjoy reading, because it is at once engaging, informative, and eye-opening, as well as completely lucid. Fentress Williams shows how many books of the Bible reflect the experience of marginalized persons and communities in precarious situations, and therefore how they speak in ways both realistic and encouraging to contemporary readers. Do your students and yourself a favor: adopt this text and get ready for serious conversation about ancient texts that never go out of date.” – Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity School

This book has become a standard text in seminary and university classrooms. The purpose of this second edition is to help readers come to a critically informed understanding of the Old Testament as the church's scripture. This book introduces the Old Testament both as a witness of ancient Israel and as a witness to the church and synagogue through the generations of those who have passed these texts on as scripture. The authors of this volume share a commitment to the interpretation of the Old Testament as a central resource for the life of the church today. At the same time, they introduce the Old Testament witness in a manner that honors the importance of biblical scholarship in helping students engage the variety of theological voices within the Old Testament. This second edition gives special attention to deepening and broadening theological interpretations by including, for example, issues related to gender, race, and class. It also includes more detailed maps and charts for student use.