Letters of Grace and Beauty

This is the third of a six-volume series called Reading the Bible as Literature. As with the first two volumes (How Bible Stories Work and Sweeter Than Honey, Richer Than Gold), the author explores the intersection of the Bible and literature. In this third volume, Dr. Ryken shows pastors, students, and teachers of the Bible how the literary craftsmanship of the epistles leads to a richer understanding of its contents. After explaining the literary makeup of the epistles, he provides exercises to help his readers master this rich literary treasure. Speaking of the entire series, Ryken says, 'The niche that these volumes are designed to fill is the literary approach to the Bible. This has been my scholarly passion for nearly half a century. It is my belief that a literary approach to the Bible is the common reader's friend, in contrast to the more specialized types of scholarship on the Bible.'

Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of English emeritus at Wheaton College, where he has taught since 1968. He is the author of more than fifty books, including How to Read the Bible as Literature (Zondervan), Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible (Baker), Windows to the World: Literature in Christian Perspective (Wipf & Stock), Effective Bible Teaching (Baker), A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible (Crossway), and co-editor of Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (IVP).