Reading the Bible Again and Seeing It for the First Time

Biblical literacy is fundamental to one’s religious quest or spiritual journey. Many readers with good intentions get lost or get bogged down, trying to read through the Bible on their own. If so, this is your book! For each of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, this book has an introduction, its historical and cultural setting, a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of its content, its eternal truths that supersede time, and golden texts that are worthy of your memorization! If you want to see the Bible in the context of its geopolitical world, this is your book! If you need to extract the eternal truths that supersede the biblical culture, this is your book! If you’d like to have a personal Bible of memorable golden texts, this is your book! If you need help as a teacher or preacher, this is your book! If you need to enhance your understanding of the Bible as the Word of God for the people of God, this is your book! This book reflects excellent scholarship, but it is designed for all ages and stages—from millennials to octogenarians!

“This is a comprehensive, enthusiastic, heart-felt overview of the Old Testament of Christian scripture. It gives a good sense of historical context but is attuned to the final form of the text and its theological message for the ages. Imbedded in the discussion is a very clear account of the Bible’s emergence in the versions we know and in new vernacular translations. The student of the Bible will benefit from this clear and passionate introduction.”

--Dr. Christopher Seitz

Senior Research Professor of Bible Interpretation

Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto

 

“‘Essential reading’ is a phrase well overdone, yet I cannot restrain myself from applying this moniker to Don Haynes’s most recent book. All renewal, revitalization, and reformation in the church begin with a return to the scriptures and a reading of them in the language of the culture. This book helped me read the First Testament with a ‘second naïveté’ (Paul Ricoeur) like few in my lifetime. It will have a prominent, even preeminent place of ‘handiness’ in my library of biblical studies.”

--Dr. Leonard Sweet

Professor, Drew University

Professor, Tabor College, George Fox Seminary

 

“Don Haynes is able to make the Old Testament come alive for the lay reader. His straightforward telling of the stories is wonderful. His commentaries show both the timeless truth and valuable lessons for today in the characters and stories in the Hebrew scriptures. This is the book for anyone who has ever hesitated about reading the Old Testament.”

--Dr. Robert Hopkins

Skip Kaufman chair in Pediatric Pulmonology

Tulane University School of Medicine

 

 

“In Reading the Bible Again, Dr. Donald W. Haynes offers us a window through which to view an old work in a new way. His scholarship is thorough. His understanding of biblical history and the land in which the Bible was written is immaculate. And he skillfully tells the stories of biblical characters in such fashion that they come alive, letting us look beneath layers of assumption of myth to see the real humans through whom God’s story was delivered to the ages. In fact, there is a timeliness to this work that builds a bridge between the Bible’s world and our own. Read, enjoy, learn, and expose yourself to the story as if for the first time.”

--Dr. Michael Brown

Senior Minister

Marble Collegiate Church, New York City

 

“Anyone seeking to understand and teach the message of the Hebrew scriptures will gain much from this Bible handbook. Written by a very gifted preacher and teacher, it is packed with easily accessible and useful background information. At the end of each chapter are sections entitled ‘Eternal Truths’ and ‘Golden Nuggets.’ Since they focus on the core themes and key verses of each book, these will be of particular value to preachers and teachers. Such resources will not only help us see the message in its original context but also relate it more accurately to the needs of today.”

--Dr. Peter C. Graves

Retired Methodist clergy, Cambridge, UK

Former Superintendent Minister, Westminster Central Hall

Former Senior Minister, Centenary, UMC, Winston-Salem, NC