The Bible Jesus Read

The Bible Jesus Read, by Philip Yancey, bears a deceiving title. This is the second book by Yancey I have read, but I was excited for this one because I thought it might delve deep into Biblical history. No such luck.

The Bible Jesus Read takes the reader on a walk through several texts of the old testament, which would have been (in some form) the scripture Jesus quoted from and was intimately familiar with. After introducing the Old Testament, Yancey goes through Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and "the prophets." He summarizes, covers the barest bit of history, mentions how these books might (or did) impact New Testament believers, and tackles some of the difficult questions that arise during one's reading.

I was sorely disappointed by this text. It seemed (from the introduction) that Yancey had only read the Old Testament a couple of times prior to reading it for this book. Seriously. He mentions that prior to this reading he found very little value in the Psalms. He also talks about how the prophets are all to often forgotten by churches. He brings very little to the table that I haven't heard a million times at church. Maybe it's because I go to a church that values the Old Testament, but I still felt like most of his insights and musings were pretty elementary.

If you aren't familiar with the Old Testament, you may like this book. However, if you've read anything substantial or gone to a church that digs into the Old Testament frequently, then skip this.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars