For For readers who want a short, searching introduction to reading the Bible; not a guide to its books one by one.
Should I read this?
For the general reader
3 of 5worth your time
For the researcher
3 of 5worth your time
Difficulty
2 of 5moderate
A short essay on what it means to open the Bible, written late in his life as an introduction for general readers.
How it proceeds
Philosophic2 of 5
Scriptural5 of 5
Experiential3 of 5
Sociological2 of 5
Historical1 of 5
Independent intensities, 0–5 — what the work is made of, not how good it is.
A short book (84 pages) published by the Liturgical Press in 1970, Merton's essay on the Bible and on what it asks of the person who opens it, written late in his life as an introduction to scripture for general readers. A British edition followed from Allen and Unwin in 1972, and later editions carry an introduction by Rob Stone.
