New Testament Letters: Literary Context

While the Bible is one unified story, it cannot all be read in the same way. The How To Read the Bible series walks through each literary style found in the Bible and explains how each uniquely contributes to the overall story of Scripture. By understanding how the Bible was written, we can better understand what the Bible actually is.

While the Bible is one unified story, it cannot all be read in the same way. The How to Read the Bible series walks through each literary style found in the Bible and explains how each uniquely contributes to the overall story of Scripture. By understanding how the Bible was written, we can better understand what the Bible actually is.

Reading the Bible wisely requires that we learn about the ancient literary styles used by the biblical authors. But why did these writers express their ideas and claims through a variety of different types of literature? What was the purpose, and how can we understand them better?

The Bible a multi-layered work, offering levels of insight as you re-read and meditate on the Bible. Explore the unique style of the Bible, which is meant to draw its readers into a lifelong journey of reading and meditation.

An important part of reading biblical narratives is learning how to understand the nature of how stories are arranged into a pattern of conflict and resolution. When we pick out verses and read them apart from the context of their overall plot, we can fail to interpret the intended meaning of the story.

Most of us think of characters in the Bible as either sinners or saints, good or bad. At least that’s how Bible stories are presented to children. In this video, we’ll explore the ways biblical authors present characters as more complex and morally compromised than we usually imagine.

Every story takes place somewhere, and locations often have a special meaning evoked by past events in the same location. We call these locations settings, and biblical authors use settings to meet the reader’s expectations—and mess with them. When we pay attention to locations and time in biblical stories, we can unlock deeper layers of meaning.

Design patterns are one of the key ways the biblical authors have unified the storyline of the Bible. Individual stories across the Old and New Testaments have been coordinated through repeated words and parallel themes. These patterns highlight core themes of the biblical story and show how it all leads to Jesus.

The New Testament contains four ancient biographies of Jesus of Nazareth, and altogether they are called “the Gospel.” Each one tells the story as an announcement of good news that the crucified and risen Jesus is the true ruler of the nations. In this video, we explore why these accounts were written and how you can read them with greater insight.

Jesus of Nazareth was a master storyteller, and many of his most well-known teachings were told as parables. But why did Jesus use parables to communicate his message so often? Why didn't he speak in plain language so that everyone could understand him? The answer may be surprising.