Introduction to the books of the Bible an enjoyable read

Do you know where your Bible is? When you pick up your Bible, does it make sense to you, or is it confusing? When you make an attempt to read your Bible, does it cause you to drift off to sleep?

A well–known scripture scholar, Father Timothy Schehr admits the Bible can be intimidating.

"This is as true for seasoned biblical scholars as it is for the for first-time readers," writes Fr. Schehr in his insightful book, "The Bible Made Easy: A Book-By-Book Introduction."’

However his guide can make reading the separate books of the Bible enjoyable.

From the "Getting Started" to its final chapter, "Revelation," Schehr’s book carefully carries the reader through the Bible. There are separate sections of just a couple of lines to longer, more complicated interpretations, but Fr. Schehr makes each paragraph an easy but complete piece of work.

Fr. Schehr begins with an introduction that describes the thousand-year reign of Christ as representing the span of time between the Lord’s birth and the Lord’s second coming. He includes a "clock" with each book of the Bible that includes dates that the Biblical events may have occurred, as well as historical dates for context.

I found the book to be an easy read and one that is a lot less complicated than my ordinary Bibles. It kept me interested without being childish; it is filled with the care and comfort of the "New American Bible" without other more complicated versions.

The two longest parts of Schehr’s book are Part Five, which covers the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament; and Part Eight, which takes on the Letters of Saint Paul, the Letter to the Hebrews and the Catholic Letters of Saint James, Saint Peter, Saint John and Saint Jude.

Schehr gives each of his paragraphs a title that describes its theme. For example, the section on the Book of Job contains paragraphs such as "The Lord gives and takes away," "Job’s dialogue with the three friends begins" and "The dialogue breaks down."

Another helpful device that Schehr uses is a section that asks questions about each book of the Bible under discussion. For example, regarding the Book of Ruth, he asks, "What is your first impression of Ruth? Do you have the same impression of her at the end of the book? And Can you see parallels between Ruth’s story and life today?

I don’t want to give away the gist of the book, but it would make a great RCIA instrument or adult education element, and, with assistance, a good book for younger children.

I loved this book enough to return to its chapters again and again. On my bookshelves there are a whole host of books – new and old – each one carefully written and only a few that are real disappointments. There are books of every title and theme, each of which can only add to a Catholic’s book collection. Without a doubt this is one of the best on the shelves.

Whether a gift or a self-given pick up from the Catholic book store, "The Bible Made Easy: A Book-by-Book Introduction" is a delight.