The Bible is an ancient book with timeless wisdom, historical integrity and many puzzles. When we read it in the context of their lifestyle, literature, and language, the Bible speaks to us like it did to its original audience.
When we grasp these contexts, we become gripped by the excitement of historical stories, the controversial views of prophetic messengers, and the unexpected simplicity of its teaching.
Dr David Instone-Brewer has drawn together the background information discovered by scholars that he's met (and some that he hasn't), and presents straightforward conclusions that unfold the meaning of the literal text.
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All the chapters of the Scripture in Context series from Lexham Press will be freely available on this site, though only a few at a time. There's more every month, so there is always something interesting to read. If you share a chapter on social media, that link should remain active even after the end of the month, so you can continue discussing and digesting it.
Each 15-minute chapter is self-contained with a compact introduction to the topic and a presentation of the newest information and insights in plain language. These are books for people interested in deep questions who don't have much time for reading. The books themselves are great for giving to someone who may find church boring but has a questioning mind. |
Moral Questions of the Bible: Timeless truth in a changing world. A straightforward method for determining which moral rules are for a specific culture, and which ones are applicable in all cultures, including ours. Charting differences in Old and New Testament laws reveals God's unchanging purposes in the context of different societies. We can then identify ethical rules that achieve those same purposes today. More... |
Church Doctrine and the Bible: Theology in ancient context. Returning to the texts behind important doctrines to resolve problems and reveal forgotten details. By stripping away 2000 years of theological complexity we can explore Bible doctrines as they were understood by a first century convert. This restores the revolutionary simplicity of Bible teaching. More... |
Modern Sciences & the Bible: Interpreting two sources of truth. God reveals truth in nature and in the Bible, though only the Bible shows us the meaning and purpose of creation. Science successfully describes nature but it disagrees with traditional interpretations of the Bible. However, there is often more than one literal interpretation of the text. Science can help us arbitrate between different interpretations, and often testifies to striking agreement with the actual Bible text. More... |
Jesus as a Jew in the Bible: Gospel insights for gentiles. From his birth as Herod's enemy to his embalming delayed by a Sabbath, Jesus' life was interlaced with Jewish history and customs. Sayings and events that are confusing or obscure become clear and enlightening when viewed within the Jewish context of the first century. More... |
Ancient Lifestyles in the Bible: Their religion, customs, politics - and ours. Ancient worship, ruthless war tactics, slavery laws and archaic family relationships make the Bible text seem irrelevant. God's message to them is still his message to us, so we study their cultures to hear it afresh. More... |
Ancient Literature & the Bible: Prophecies, stories, and proverbs through their eyes. The Bible conveys history through stories, religion through poetry, ethics through proverbs and politics through prophecy - because that's how the original readers communicated. Reading these different types of writing through their eyes will open up their meaning to us. More... |
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