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Ryken’s Bible Handbook

©1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

This reference book is divided into three sections: The Bible as a Book, The Old Testament, and the New Testament. The first section is a tidy overview of the entire Bible and includes instructive and thought-provoking subheadings like “The Flow of the Book,” “Three Impulses That Govern Biblical Writers,” “Ten Things the Bible Says About Itself,” and “Unifying Stylistic Traits,” as well as more traditional headings such as “How We Got the Bible,” “The Purposes of the Book,” “Key Doctrines” and “The Cast of Characters.” Ryken’s Bible Handbook is not simply a summary of biblical content, but rather a book of methodology—an introduction to the types of writing (stories, proverbs, genealogies) that make up the Bible, and guidelines for interpreting each genre.

Distinctive features of this handbook include:

• Fact sheets that present at a glance the most important things a reader needs to know about each of the 66 books, including the author’s perspective, the audience to whom it was written, the implied purposes, and challenges the reader and/or teacher of the book may face.
• For longer books, a preliminary chart illustrating the framework of the book in a way that is easy to comprehend.
• Sections that trace the flow of the book, in terms appropriate to its genre.
• Key doctrines in each book.
• Suggestions for personal application.

The authors suggest the Bible has purposes that are revelatory (it reveals to people the things God wants them to know); salvific (to lead people to trust in Christ for salvation); practical (shows people how to live and what to avoid); and nurturing (a means by which believers find refreshment and sustaining grace). Using this handbook as a personal study guide will lead to a more in-depth understanding of each of these redemptive purposes.

PATTY KENNEDY is assistant web content editor for the national Women’s Ministries Department. She also writes book and music reviews for Pages and Tunes, a free e-newsletter provided by the national Women’s Ministries Department.

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