Read the Bible Smarter, Not Harder: Exploring the Stories Behind the Books

There is an increasing recognition that we need to engage the Bible as a collection of books. But we haven't been taught to read or study the Bible on the book level. Almost all of our approaches to the Bible are based on chapters, verses, or sections, so how do we change this?The units of meaning in the Bible are not chapters, or verses, or topical sections, but the literary compositions that God inspired to create the Scriptures. If we want to know the meaning of God's word, we need to engage these compositions on their own terms. This means understanding why they were written, what kind of writing they are, how they are put together, and what major themes and ideas they develop and pursue. This book answers these questions for each ofthe books in the Bible by presenting expanded versions of the book introductions included in The Books of The Bible, an edition of the Scriptures from Biblica that presents the biblical books in their natural literary form, without chaptersand verses.

The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is a writer and biblical scholar who lives in East Lansing, Michigan. He served local churches for nearly twenty years and was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica)for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the Scriptures that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. He is the author of After Chapters and Verses; Read the Bible Smarter, Not Harder; and the other volumes in the Understanding the Books of the Bible series. He has a B.A. in literature from Harvard, a master's degree in theological studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in historical theology and Bible from BostonCollege.