Reading the Historical Books: A Student’s Guide To Engaging The Biblical Text

“Somebody once famously wrote, ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.’ For those coming to serious study of the Bible for the first time, there cannot be any more important lesson than to understand how to read the Bible’s ancient historical records faithfully on their own terms. They are not always the same as ours. You will not find a better or more sympathetic introductory book than this one to point you in the right direction.”
—H. G. M. Williamson, University of Oxford

“This is a book about the ancient biblical historical books for readers in the text-message age! Engagingly written, it goes beyond matters of introduction to show how an appreciation of the factors of historical context, storytelling, point of view, and overarching concept plays a crucial role for readers in their understanding of the text. Always sympathetically aware of its audiences, and with panels calling for reader involvement, this book will be an invaluable aid to all who have a serious interest in understanding these rich story-histories of the Old Testament.”
—J. Gordon McConville, University of Gloucestershire

“Finally, an accessible work that reunites the literary and historical aspects of the Old Testament historical books and trains contemporary readers to hear the text in responsible ways that can shape the course of life today.”
—Mark J. Boda, McMaster Divinity College and McMaster University

“This engaging guide to reading historical narrative in the Old Testament is a great text for beginners. Dutcher-Walls assumes little and draws on a wide variety of relevant texts and illustrations from the Bible, ancient Near Eastern sources, and especially modern historical texts and media contexts. There is nothing better for communicating basic principles of Hebrew Bible historiography to modern readers.”
—Richard S. Hess, Denver Seminary

Patricia Dutcher-Walls (ThD, Graduate Theological Union) is professor of Hebrew scripture at Vancouver School of Theology, where she also gives administrative oversight to the school’s doctoral programs and serves as dean of studies and director of the library. She is the author of several books and a web-based Bible study curriculum. Ordained by the United Presbyterian Church (USA), she now serves as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada.