Engaging the Christian Scriptures - A Review

 

Engaging the
Christian Scriptures

by

Andrew E. Arterbury

W. H. Bellinger Jr.

Derek S. Dodson

A Review

Baker Books offers a Biblical introduction that focuses more on the scripture’s setting and history than the individual books. It covers the books in by type (i.e. history, writings. Prophesy, etc.), particularly as it moves through the Old Testament. The authors spend more time on individual books within the NT canon. The coverage is broad, giving minimal explanation for the positions taken when discussing issues which are still open for debate. For example, when discussing the origin of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the authors write:

We are uncertain of the exact dates or location of Paul’s imprisonment, though many scholars theorize that Paul corresponded with the Philippians while jailed in Ephesus between 56 and 58 CE. This theory accounts for the numerous trips that Epaphroditus and the Philippians made while providing assistance to Paul (2:19–30), given that a journey from Philippi to Ephesus would take significantly less time than journeys from either Rome or Caesarea, where we know Paul spent time in prison (Acts 23–25; 28).

The inclusion of a Scripture Index and a General Index should add value to the work though these indexes seemed to be missing from the Advanced Readers Copy I received from the publisher.

The book is a good Biblical introduction for a lay audience or an undergraduate course in Biblical Introduction. I would have a difficult time recommending it for a seminary or graduate level course. It has a place in the church library though I think there are better choices for the pastor’s personal library. For this reason I give the book 4 stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.