Literarily

Title: Literarily: How Understanding Bible Genres Transforms Bible Study

Author: Kristie Anyabwile

Genre: Christian Nonfiction, Theology, Education, Bible Study

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Source:  Moody Publishers

My review:

I enjoyed Literarily: How Understanding Bible Genres Transforms Bible Study by Kristie Anyabwile, but it is a harder book to review. Anyabwile gives an excellent idea of what's included in her book in the synopsis below.

First, Anyabwile has written a book that is engaging and informative, easy to understand, and would benefit anyone struggling to understand the Bible (preteens and adults).

"What became clear is that the Bible is, in part, a literary work and there is great value in studying it literarily, according to the literary style presented in a particular book, chapter, or passage."

Second, even though I have a master's degree in religious education, I still learned new stuff from this book. Quite a bit of the book was a review of things that I had already heard or learned; but I was thrilled by the new information I gleaned from this book.

"We can deepen our understanding of what God intends to communicate through His Word by learning to study the Bible according to its literary genres."

Third, I had never considered studying the Bible from a literary perspective but now understand the value of studying Scripture in this manner.

"The focus of this book is to help us understand the Bible literarily and while this literary understanding will serve as a guardrail to help us to yield to the authority of God's Word, we must also take time to understand the Bible in its cultural and historical contexts as well."

This is a quick read with lots of information. It's easy to take in smaller chunks as you have the time to read it. It is well-researched and would be great for anyone who wants to understand the genres of the Bible better.

Thank you to Moody Publishers for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis:

Don’t just read the Bible literally—read it Literarily.

A lot of times, we treat Scripture like it’s all the same from Genesis to Revelation. After all, it only has one Author. Isn’t it just one big book, identical from beginning to end?

While it’s true that the Bible is unified, it is also diverse. The Bible can be grouped according to key categories, called genres, that help us to read and properly interpret the Scriptures. An understanding of these genres, and the literary themes and devices used within them, makes all the difference when encountering God’s Word.

Long-time Bible teacher Kristie Anyabwile discovered as she prepared her lessons that a single inductive approach doesn’t do justice to the variety of genres that make up the Word of God. Because Scripture is a collection of writings that spans 1,500 years, many literary styles are represented and each must be taken into account for the fullest understanding of God’s Word. Kristie shows you the immense value of studying the Bible literarily—that is, according to the literary style presented in a particular book, chapter, or passage. In Literarily, Kristie will take you through these eight distinct genres:

Law
History
Prophecy
Poetry
Gospels
Epistles
Wisdom
Apocalyptic
The Bible is an epic story that God has revealed to us through diverse genres and literary features. Its message and method are both meant to transform our hearts. Our goal as interpreters isn’t to meld the Scriptures into a bland conglomerate, but to recognize the multiple forms in which God’s Word comes to us. In so doing, we’ll encounter the ongoing story of Jesus’s redemption and learn how He calls His people to live in our complex world today.