Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible : A Guide to Reading the Bible Well

How do I get more out of my Bible reading?

What was going on during the gap between the Old and New Testaments?

How do all the books of the Bible fit together as a whole?

This book answers these questions and puts clear, readable Bible study aids at your fingertips. It contains thirteen essays from some of today’s best evangelical scholars including C. John Collins, Thomas Schreiner, Gordon Wenham, and Darrell Bock, and will help you to:

• See the big-picture storyline of the Bible
• Understand the theology of the Old and New Testaments
• Read the different sections of Scripture effectively
• Know what happened between the testaments

In addition to essays on each genre of the Bible, the book addresses the general Greco-Roman world and specific Jewish groups at the time of the New Testament. To aid in putting Bible passages in context, it also includes timelines of the Old and New Testaments and intertestamental events.

Useful as both a general overview of the Bible and as a tool for more specific reference and training, this book will help you grow in your understanding of Scripture and your ability to apply the Bible to life.

Wayne Grudem (PhD, University of Cambridge) is Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary. He is a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, the general editor of the ESV Study Bible, and the author of over twenty-five books.

C. John Collins (PhD, University of Liverpool) is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been a research engineer, church-planter, and teacher. He was the Old Testament Chairman for the English Standard Version Bible and is author of The God of Miracles, Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?, and Genesis 1–4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary. He and his wife have two grown children.

Thomas R. Schreiner (MDiv and ThM, Western Seminary; PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and associate dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Darrell L. Bock (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is executive director for cultural engagement at the Hendricks Center, senior research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, and senior Bible teacher for Back to the Bible radio. He is the author of over forty books. Darrell lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Sally. They have three children and four grandchildren.

David Chapman (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament and Archaeology at Covenant Theological Seminary. He is also the author of Ancient Jewish and Christian Perceptions of Crucifixion. He presents research and lectures worldwide.