How to Read the Bible

by Marc Zvi Brettler

"As a professor of biblical studies, I am frequently sent textbooks . . . and I often consult academic introductions to the field as well. None of them is as clear, sophisticated, and readable as this book. For Jewish and non-Jewish readers. . . . The book's accomplishments remain stellar.” —Benjamin D. Sommer; Sh’ma/Koret Book Review Master Bible scholar and teacher Marc Brettler argues that today’s contemporary readers can only understand the ancient Hebrew Scripture by knowing more about the culture that produced it. And so Brettler unpacks the literary conventions, ideological assumptions, and historical conditions that inform the biblical text and demonstrates how modern critical scholarship and archaeological discoveries shed light on this fascinating and complex literature. Brettler surveys representative biblical texts from different genres to illustrate how modern scholars have taught us to “read” these texts. Using the “historical-critical method” long popular in academia, he guides us in reading the Bible as it was read in the biblical period, independent of later religious norms and interpretive traditions. Understanding the Bible this way lets us appreciate it as an interesting text that speaks in multiple voices on profound issues. This book is the first “Jewishly sensitive” introduction to the historical-critical method. Unlike other introductory texts, the Bible that this book speaks about is the Jewish one—with the three-part TANAKH arrangement, the sequence of books found in modern printed Hebrew editions, and the chapter and verse enumerations used in most modern Jewish versions of the Bible. In an afterword, the author discusses how the historical-critical method can help contemporary Jews relate to the Bible as a religious text in a more meaningful way.

Genres: Religion, Judaism, Old Testament, Jewish, Nonfiction, Judaica

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Benjamin Sendrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually my third time through the book. I use it as a textbook for my Bible course at Butler University. Know going in that Brettler is focused on the Historical/Critical method of study. I'm on board with the Historical piece (try to read it like a member of the intended audience) but far less interested in the source criticism, simply because I'm interested in the Biblical text we have in our hands. I'm always looking for a better book and once used a book by one of Brettler's students (The Bible's Many Voices), but I end up back with this book. Goodreads shows similar titles by Brettler, which I plan to look at. The bottom line regarding this book is that almost any reader will know much more about the Hebrew Bible after reading it.

[Michael Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Read the Bible is an effort by Marc Zvi Brettler to present a "historical-critical" method for reading the Bible. Rather than providing a theological interpretation of the sacred text, Brettler's approach teaches how to read the Bible from a historical/cultural perspective - that is, what it might have meant to readers at the time the text was compiled. While Brettler writes through a Jewish lens, this approach to textual analysis offers little in the way of theological interpretation and is, therefore, accessible to people of any religious background.

Brettler does not propose that this is the only way to read the Bible, nor even the best way, but rather a way that opens readers to context that may enlighten or explain a complex and often contradictory text. For those that view the Bible as a perfect document with Divide authorship, Brettler's book may pose challenges. Yet, it is an interesting and illuminating alternative approach to understanding the most influential text ever written.

Brettler's approach to interpretation focuses on how the books of the Bible are ordered, how that order came about and why that matters. He also makes significant space for understanding what the intent of different portions of the book might be. What is the origin of Song of Songs, for example, and how would the readers in the first two centuries of the common era think about this collection of love poems?

He also analyzes the different approaches of the books written from the perspective of the Prophets and suggests that the books were, in many cases, not written entirely by their namesakes or even all at the same time.

It is a bit dry, but Brettler's book offers a unique perspective on rTs, provides illumination to a text accepted as the foundation of religious belief for billions of people across the globe.

Worth reading, but the relatively academic style also takes some of the passion out of the text. No more than three stars for this review.

[Missie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn’t always easy to understand or read. It’s somewhat scholarly. However there’s a reasonable attempt to make it relatable and not politically correct, given the revelation at the end that he is an observant Jew.
The apparent contradictions in what we call scripture are fascinating, the exposition of the book as relatively unreliable for historical texts and the apparent influence of the religious practices of the day are intriguing and never discussed in Christian circles.

As a Christian who sees many prophecies in the ‘hebrew Bible’ pointing quite clearly to Jesus Christ, I felt like that was the elephant in the room.
Nevertheless, it was a great eye opener, to culture, context and history of the Bible. It’s true that reading the Bible is not a very obvious activity.

[Richard]

Readable introduction to the historical-critical method of reading the Bible, followed by bite-sized (~10 page) chapters on most of the key books of the Hebrew Bible, in order. Aimed at about college freshman level, ie for an Intro Bible course, including very basic signposting throughout (I have shown above that …..) Somewhat repetitive; Brettler clearly expects readers to jump to the chapter they need rather than read through. Good afterword about how he can reconcile being a historical-critical scholar with being an observant Jew.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent review of the Hebrew Bible. Scholarly and heavily footnoted.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interested book. Does a very good job of putting the construction of the Hebrew Bible into historical context, saying that since the ancient world cared little for the accurate telling of history for it's own sake, then why do we now read the Bible as an actual historical document (or dismiss it entirely as false history). We should see it rather as a great collection of stories by a people trying to explain their world, and create order and a just society out of the chaos of the ancient world. Brettler does a great job of showcasing that the Bible was not created in a vacuum of "us" and "them", but rather was heavily influenced by writings from the other surrounding cultures. He says that understanding the books from this point of view can easily fit into one's religious practice rather than "disprove" it.

[Ushan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another introduction to the Hebrew Bible. I liked one of the hypotheses given in this book. It is well known that some books of the Bible quote from other books of the Bible, for instance, Daniel quotes from Jeremiah; they also quote from other books that haven't come down to us: Numbers quotes from the Book of the Wars of the Lord, and Joshua and Samuel quote from the Book of Jasher. The vast majority of these quotes are in Chronicles, which is a nationalistic rewrite of Kings, as we would now say, a falsification of history. Brettler believes that these quotes are fake, these books never existed, and these pseudo-quotes were invented to give Chronicles an aura of historicity.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Brettler provides an excellent introduction to the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible using the historical-critical method, that essays to put what is recorded in the context of its time, audience, and purpose, while teasing apart the various strands and authors from different times and with different points of view that later editors had merged into the text that has come down to us in the past millennium. Carefully footnoted, with a twenty-one-page bibliography of sources cited, it is nevertheless, clearly written and easily read by general readers.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it took me a year to read this because I followed along with my Sunday School course. It provided great overviews of most Hebrew Biblical books which gave me a good background to then go ahead and read the Biblical text.