Learn how to read the Bible as literature and fall in love with God's Word. We all want to read the Bible verse-by-verse, cover-to-cover, but what happens when you can't get past Leviticus or bog down and quit in Chronicles? How can you make the journey through the Bible spring to life with unforgettable characters, drama, and glittering poetry and prose? In Reading the Bible: A Literary Guide to Scripture, Dr. Bill Creasy leads you on an unforgettable adventure book-by-book, Genesis through Revelation. Stemming from his popular course at UCLA, The English Bible as Literature, this work delves deeply into the text of the Bible, unveiling its rich literary genres and ancient Near Eastern origins. Recognized as among the top two percent of educators in the U.S., Creasy challenges the notion that the Bible is simply an anthology, instead revealing it as a collection of 'little books' that warrant meticulous exploration. In this book you will learn how to: Read the Bible as a unified literary work Engage each book of the Bible in its proper literary genre Meet biblical characters as unique people Discover the subtle techniques of scriptural storytelling Understand the drama of redemption   With the aim of nurturing "knowledgeable readers of Scripture" who can both comprehend and apply its teachings within their own life, Reading the Bible serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking a profound understanding of the world's most influential text. This book and its companion, Reading the Bible Study Guide, are perfect for group Bible study programs in churches, schools, and seminaries!

Table of Contents:
Preface xxx [In the Preface the reader meets me and learns how I began teaching the Bible as a faculty member of the UCLA English Department; my approach to teaching the Bible; and an introduction to this book and its companion Bible Beat mobile app. In the Preface I strive to create both academic credibility as well as an engaging “voice,” someone the reader will want to spend time with. The Preface is a personal invitation to join me on a great reading adventure!] Introduction Chapter 1: Four Foundational Principles xxx [In this opening chapter I present the four foundational principles that support my literary reading of Scripture: 1) the Bible is rooted in geography; 2) the Bible emerges from history; 3) in its final finished form, the Bible is a unified literary work; and 4) unlike other classic literary works, the Bible claims to be “the word of God,” a claim that places unique demands upon the reader.] Chapter 2: Writing the Bible [How did the Bible come to be written? Who wrote it? How was it written? And when? These are excellent questions, and they deserve thoughtful answers. The answers vary, however, for each book of the Bible has its own unique textual history, sometimes simple, sometimes complex. In this chapter I explore these questions using the four gospels to illustrate.] Chapter 3: The Canon of Scripture xxx [In this chapter we move on from writing the Bible to how the books we have in the Bible got there in the first place; that is, to how the canon of Scripture was formed.] The Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) The Five Books of Moses, or the Torah (Pentateuch) Chapter 4: Reading Genesis xxx [Genesis speaks of beginnings: God’s creation; the beginning of humanity; the beginning of sin; the beginning of salvation; and the beginning of our story. It is a literary tour de force that makes all other creation stories pale in comparison. The curtain rises in Genesis with eleven chapters of a genre that I call “mythopoeic literature,” stories that probe the fundamental issues of the human condition: Who are we? How did we get here?” Why did we get here? Why is there evil in the world? After this “prologue,” Genesis unfolds like a triptych with three stories: 1) the Abraham/Isaac story; 2) the Isaac/Jacob story; and 3) the Jacob/Joseph story. At the end of Genesis we find our featured family of 72 people in Egypt with their brother Joseph, who has risen to a position of power, second only to Pharaoh himself. These stories that comprise Genesis are among the greatest in all of world literature.] Chapter 5: Reading Exodus xxx [Exodus picks up exactly where Genesis leaves off, but 400 years have flashed by and the 72 people in Jacob’s family have increased to a population of over 1 million . . . and they are now slaves, severely oppressed. Against the rich background of ancient Egypt, God raises up a liberator, Moses, who will lead his people out of slavery and ultimately into the “Promised Land” of Canaan. But there is a long way to go, with many lessons to be learned along the way. Once arriving at Mount Sinai in the wilderness, God reaffirms the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis, that their descendants, the Israelites, would be God’s chosen people who would play a unique role in human history. God gives his people Ten Commandments, ten principles by which a covenant people will live with an infinitely holy God and with one another. And he gives them the Tabernacle, a physical structure, by which the Israelites gain access to God through the priesthood God establishes with Moses’ brother, Aaron and Aaron’s sons.] Chapter 6: Reading Leviticus xxx [Among Christians, Leviticus is probably the most neglected book in the Bible. Most people think of it---if they think of it at all---as an antiquated collection of laws and rituals for worship that have little relevance today: few people have actually read it; fewer still have studied it. Yet, Leviticus is a thrilling book that lays o