“I am very pleased with this book. Prof. Cosby surprises me with his ability to strike an effective balance between the needs (and interests) of his student audience and the requirements of sound biblical studies pedagogy. He addresses students with a wry, contemporary voice that I believe they will find readable and engaging; and yet, he maintains throughout an informed, academically rigorous tone towards his biblical studies subject matter.

The many visual aids (photos, maps, diagrams, boxes, and cartoons) are clarifying and helpful. He very effectively conveys material that I have sometimes struggled to communicate to my students.

The photos and cartoons and boxes are all instructive, and sometimes amusing. In each of these elements of the chapter, Cosby is working important hermeneutical concepts into an accessible and arresting presentation. He will definitely “grab” the attention and work from the general assumptions of most of my students with this approach. “I find Cosby’s introductory text to be an inviting guide for an undergraduate introduction to the Bible and its interpretation.”

Jan J. Quesada
Biblical Studies Instructor
Texas Christian University