How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour (Paperback)

~ (Author), Douglas Stuart (Author) "We should begin by noting that the arrangement of the Old Testament books in the Hebrew Bible is a bit different from that in our..." (more)
Key Phrases: covenant disloyalty, covenant loyalty, final oracle, Old Testament, Jesus Christ, New Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Helps people read the Bible as a whole; and even when the whole is narrowed to whole books, helps readers to see how each book fits into the grand Story of the Bible.

From the Back Cover

A Guided Tour from Genesis through Revelation

Reading the Bible need not be a haphazard journey through strange and bewildering territory. Like an experienced tour guide, How to Read the Bible Book by Book takes you by the hand and walks you through the Scriptures. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its key elements and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.

In an engaging, conversational style, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart take you through a given book of the Bible using their unique, progressive approach:

• Orienting Data—Concise info bytes that form a thumbnail of the book • Overview—A brief panorama that introduces key concepts and themes and important landmarks in the book • Specific Advice for Reading—Pointers for accurately understanding the details and message of the book in context with the circumstances surrounding its writing • A Walk Through—The actual section-by-section tour that helps you see both the larger landscape of the book and how its various parts work together to form the whole. Here you are taken by the hand and told, "Look at this!"

How to Read the Bible Book by Book can be used as a companion to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. It also stands on its own as a reliable guide to reading and understanding the Bible for yourself.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 444 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310211182
• ISBN-13: 978-0310211181
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,712 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible as a Whole, November 6, 2003

By	Patrick McCullough (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was exposed to this book as I was visiting Regent College and talking with Gordon Fee in his office there. It was about a week prior to the release of the volume and he was excited about it. Dr. Fee pointed out that this was actually mainly his own project and Dr. Stuart acted primarily as a consultant for the Old Testament material. He explained his vision in very canonical terminology. He wanted to create a reader's guide to the Bible as a whole and explained that this is more of a one-person project in order to give the book unity. Verses are descibed in relation to surrounding passages. These passages are included in the individual book of the Bible. The books are a part of larger section of Scripture (e.g., Genesis is part of the "Narrative of Israel in the Biblical Story"). These sections combine together to make the whole of the Bible itself. There is an overview to the whole Biblical story and one for each section. The chapters about the individual works of the Bible have the following setup (using Genesis as an example):

ORIENTING DATA FOR GENESIS
-Content (brief synopsis)
-Historical Coverage (estimation of time the events take place)
-Emphases (short list)

OVERVIEW OF GENESIS (few paragraphs to summarize material)

SPECIFIC ADVICE FOR READING GENESIS (a page or two of advice)

A WALK THROUGH GENESIS (divides the book into sections and gives short commentary on each section)

The chapters end with a brief concluding paragraph which reiterates the books role in the whole of the Bible. This book is extremely accessible for the layperson wanting a guide to reading the Scriptures. All too often verses and passages are used apart from their biblical story and this guide is a wonderful reminder of those dangers as well as a helpful tool in changing our perspective. Of course it is helpful if you have read How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by these authors, but it is not necessary. If you need a place to start for your Bible reading, to give you context, this is a wonderful place to get that perspective.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good guidebook for the Bible, September 27, 2002

By	Randy Buchanan (Oakton, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This book provides specific guidance for reading each book of the Bible by providing an introduction and summary of each book. This title also tries to tie together the big picture and how each book fits into that overall story. This is helpful because many of us at times get lost in the details. I recommend using this book with How the Read the Bible for All its Worth by the same authors in order to get the most benefit.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Basics, October 6, 2005

By	Andrew L. Wetzel (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A good introdction by some scholars who have a deep and sophisticated understanding of their material, and the ability to make that understanding clear to their readers. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth goes more into the principles by which Christians read the Scriptures and understand their meaning, and is a good read if you want to live by the Book or understand those who do.

[None of these books, by the way, have anything to do with the "bible code," as the reviewer below suggests.]