Learning to Study the Bible Leader Guide

By L. J. Zimmerman

Learning to Study the Bible is an eight-week study for adults, exploring the biblical history and methods of interpretations using the classic questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? This study explores geography, archeology, biblical genre, context, and interpretation. Participants will also learn how to use important biblical resources such as Bible dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, and more.

The goal of Learning To Study the Bible is to equip participants to read and study the Bible for themselves. It seeks to deepens one's understanding of the biblical stories and to help participants grow in their biblical faith. Tween version of this resource is also available.

Session Outline and Learning Goals:

1. Who? Author and Audience
   • Learn about the authors and original audiences of the Bible
   • Use a Bible dictionary
   • Sharpen deductive reasoning skills in biblical interpretation
2. What? Genre
   • Introduce and explore biblical genres
   • Learn to use Bible commentaries and apps to identify possible genres of texts
   • Explore the significance of genre for biblical interpretation
3. When? Context
   • Investigate the connection between context and meaning
   • Spark curiosity about biblical and modern cultural contexts
   • Use Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and handbooks to research biblical context
4. Where? Geography
   • Spark curiosity about the biblical landscape
   • Prompt reflection on the relationship between land and daily life
   • Use biblical maps and archaeological research to explore biblical geography
5. Why? Interpretation
   • Create awareness of interpretive lenses and layers
   • Spark curiosity about our own and others’ interpretive lenses
   • Use a concordance and various translations to compare meanings
6. How? Read Closely
   • Cultivate appreciation for the way our ancestors preserved the biblical text
   • Practice reading carefully and paying attention
   • Discover the four meanings of Scripture and practice interpreting them

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501871085

L. J. Zimmerman

L.J. holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Before coming to the United Methodist Publishing House, L.J. served as a Christian educator and minister to children, youth and adults in various congregations. She is the writer and editor of Submerge. L.J. enjoys connecting with the children and youth in her local Quaker meeting. She also loves biking around Nashville, knitting sweaters, and hiking with her dog.

Book preview

How to Use Learning to Study the Bible

LEARNING TO STUDY THE BIBLE explores biblical history and methods of interpretation. It gives participants the tools they need to explore the Bible using the classic questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

The primary component of LEARNING TO STUDY THE BIBLE is the Participant Book. Leaders guide participants in conducting their own Bible studies using their Participant Books. The leader’s role is to introduce ideas, ask questions, and keep the group on track.

You will lead a group through the Participant Book over the course of eight sessions. Each session has three parts: Explore, Study, and Reflect.

1. Explore: Participants engage in an opening activity to begin conversation about the topic. They then move to foundational information and inquiry as they gain new insights.

2. Study: Participants take the concept they’ve explored and apply it to the Bible. They study a Bible story or passage together, and use the appropriate Bible study resources and tools (see pages 5 – 6 ) to deepen their understandings.

3. Reflect: After studying the text, the participants engage in individual reflection and then reflect as a group.

Studying the Bible is an exciting process. Remember, the journey of Bible study is lifelong. You don’t need to have all the answers! You just need to be open to investigating this sacred text with your group. Use Prepare (p. 7) and the introduction of the Participant Book to reflect and to ready your group for this holy work. Also, before the first session it is suggested to give group members their Participant Books. Before each session, participants and you, are encouraged to read, Why does this matter? in their books.

Bible Study Resources

As you embark on this Bible study journey, you’ll discover that there are many Bible study tools to choose from. Navigating the multitude of commentaries, dictionaries, concordances, and other tools can be confusing.

Each lesson in this study uses certain types of Bible study tools to investigate a text. It can be tempting to search online for free versions of these resources. Yet, the resources that are available online are not always compatible with the assumptions of this study (see page 7). Not every free commentary, for example, uses historical criticism to study the Bible. Not every Bible handbook encourages readers to look at the text from several angles.

Because we know it is difficult to find and access helpful Bible study tools, we have created a website where you can access the relevant pages of our CEB Bible study resources for most lessons.

Simply visit deepbluekids.com/learningtostudy and download the file corresponding to the session number. Each file contains content relevant to that session from the CEB Study Bible, CEB Student Bible, CEB Bible Dictionary, CEB Concise Concordance, and the Abingdon New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. This download is FREE.

Another useful, free resource is your local public library. Many libraries carry Bible study resources, including commentaries, handbooks, dictionaries, and so forth. Following is a list of recommended resources to use in conjunction with this study.

Common English Bible Resources

We believe that the Common English Bible (CEB) is the most responsibly translated, easy-to-read English version of the Bible. We recommend using the CEB translation whenever reading the Bible with your participants, as well as the additional CEB resources that can be accessed on our website. The CEB Bible study resources are listed below.

The CEB Study Bible . Edited by Joel B. Green. Nashville: Common English Bible, 2011.

The CEB Student Bible . Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville: Common English Bible, 2015.

The CEB Navigation Bible . Nashville: Common English Bible, 2018.

The CEB Women’s Bible . Edited by Jaime Clark-Soles. Nashville: Common English Bible, 2016.

The Common English Bible: Bible Dictionary . Nashville: Common English Bible, 2011.

The Common English Bible: Concise Concordance . Nashville: Common English Bible, 2011.

Free Bible Study Resources

Scan this code to download FREE sample pages from the CEB Study Bible, CEB Student Bible, CEB Bible Dictionary, CEB Concise Concordance, and the Abingdon New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. You’ll find all the relevant pages for each session, so your group can study the Bible with the help of trustworthy scholarship, for free! (If you don’t have a QR code reader, type deepbluekids.com/learningtostudy into your browser.)

Recommended Commentaries

The New Interpreter’s Bible One-Volume Commentary . Edited by Beverly Roberts Gaventa and David Petersen. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2010.

The Women’s Bible Commentary . Edited by Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley. 3rd ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.

HarperCollins Bible Commentary . By the Society of Biblical Literature, edited by James L Mays. Rev. ed. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2000.

T he Oxford Bible Commentary . Edited by John Barton and John Muddiman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament . Edited by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews,