The “Very Short Introduction” series by Oxford University Press is a winner. They’ve published hundreds of introductions on diverse and fascinating topics. Whenever I see one on the shelf of a second-hand bookstore, I’m sure to pick it up—which is why I read a short introduction to The Bible by John Riches, despite spending my academic life studying theology.

Riches does an admirable job condensing such a broad field into 150 small pages. Chapters range from the writing process (going so far as to introduce JEPD and Q), to the canonization process, to the way scripture is interpreted and reinterpreted in politics and the arts.

The highlight of The Bible (the introduction, not the scripture) is the chapter on canonization. Riches handles the process in a thorough and nuanced manner, avoiding the common polemic that canonization was a mere power-play.

The Bible: A Very Short Introduction delivers what it promises. It’s a suitable volume to give anyone interested in exploring the nature and significance of one of the world’s most influential (collection of) texts.

Riches, John. The Bible: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2000.