How to Read the Bible as Literature . . . and Get More Out of It

by Leland Ryken

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2016

Overview

If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible’s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage. How to Read the Bible as Literature takes you through the various literary forms used by the biblical authors. This book will help you read the Bible with renewed appreciation and excitement and gain a more profound grasp of its truths. Designed for maximum clarity and usefulness, How to Read the Bible as Literature includes:

• sidebar captions to enhance organization
• wide margins ideal for note taking
• suggestions for further reading
• appendix: "The Allegorical Nature of the Parables"
• indexes of persons and subjects

Contents

Top Highlights

“The fourth rule for reading stories is to identify the exact nature of the plot conflicts in a story, noting how they develop and are finally resolved.” (Page 41)

“Rule number one for reading the stories of the Bible is simply this: look upon biblical stories as an invitation to share an experience, as vividly and concretely as possible, with the characters in the story.” (Pages 34–35)

“pervasive in the parables, leading some interpreters to claim that the last element in a parable is the most important” (Page 142)

“tragic plot an essentially good character undergoes a catastrophic change of fortune caused by his or her tragic flaw” (Page 53)

“poetry is a language of images that the reader must experience as a series of imagined sensory situations” (Page 91)

Product Details

• Title: How to Read the Bible as Literature … and Get More Out of It
• Author: Leland Ryken
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Print Publication Date: 2016
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible as literature; Bible › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs: 9780310133452, 9780310536338, 0310133459, 0310536332
• Resource ID: LLS:WS_696A9CD73E91457BADDC8D79FB1203B8
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T04:12:29Z

About Leland Ryken

Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) served as professor of English at Wheaton College for more than 43 years. He has authored or edited more than three dozen books, including The Word of God in English, The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible, The ESV Literary Study Bible, and A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society and served as literary stylist for the English Standard Version.