Sleuthing the Bible: clues that unlock the mysteries of the text

by John Kaltner, Steven L. McKenzie, Peter Enns (Foreword)

Why is there crime-scene tape on my Bible? Elementary, my dear reader. There is an element of detective work to biblical scholarship that entails sniffing out and interpreting clues that often escape the notice of readers. John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie introduce the art of sleuthing the Bible, providing the necessary training to hunt for clues and piece them together to understand the larger picture. Sleuthing the Bible  helps answer questions that occur during thoughtful examination of the Bible and provides exercises enabling readers to work through biblical passages on their own. Kaltner and McKenzie analyze two kinds of (1) Smoking Guns— those that are obvious upon any close reading of biblical texts, and (2) Dusting for Prints—those that are more subtle or hidden from nonspecialists because of their unfamiliarity with the languages, culture, and larger content of the Bible. Written in a jargon-free and accessible style,  Sleuthing the Bible  is an ideal resource for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the biblical text. 

287 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2019

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of great information, but doesn’t seem to have a clear view of who its intended audience is. They use a kitschy theme of being Bible detectives, but in many cases take it too far in their work. The theme of Bible detectives seems aimed towards middle school, and maybe high schoolers, but the content is for people who are older or more mature in their faith. Again, the humor often seems aimed toward middle-school boys, but then the content goes far deeper.