Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 48:3 (Sep 2005)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

JETS 48:3 (September 2005) p. 609

Book Reviews

The Illustrated Guide to Biblical History. By Kendell H. Easley. Nashville: Holman, 2003, xii + 306 pp., $19.97.

Kendell Easley's book is a lavishly-illustrated historical introduction to the whole Bible. In the body of the book an approximately equal division exists between text and graphic materials. His work is based upon two decades of classroom teaching and clearly reflects the judicious choices of a seasoned instructor.

The book is built around his central theme that "[t]he Lord God through His Christ is graciously building a kingdom of redeemed people for their joy and for His own glory" (p. 3). This thesis is constantly referred to throughout the book and provides a helpful peg for the lay reader. Indeed, Easley is interested in the "big picture" of the biblical story. He arranges his chapters chronologically and at the end of each chapter lists some thoughtful questions for the reader to ponder and to gauge his or her understanding of the material in the chapter.

The emphasis, per the title, is on biblical history, but Easley also treats theological topics along the way. He sticks close to a literal reading of the biblical text (e.g. "no" to evolution, "yes" to a literal Adam and Eve, "yes" to a universal flood). In terms of perspective, 138 pages are devoted to the OT, 15 to the Intertestamental Period, and 124 to NT material.

There is a sizeable (51-page) section devoted to the life of Christ. Although the emphasis is rightly upon an illustrated and descriptive history of Christ's life, some theological themes are treated. For example, Jesus' view of the Kingdom of God is described in an "already, but not yet" fashion—the overlapping of the two ages. Easley's historical description of the last week of Jesus' earthly ministry is quite thorough. Acts and the Epistles receive adequate treatment, and there is even an extensive treatment of the book of Revelation. In this area Easley notes various interpretative options and is irenic in his presentation.

In sum, the text is basic and useful for the layperson. Easley typically avoids scholarly jargon. For example, in one place he provides an outline of "the pattern of gospel preaching or 'Kingdom Proclamation' that was evidently standard" (p. 222). Scholars will instantly recognize these as the elements normally included in a description of the content of the kerygma—but he avoids using the term.

On the graphic side, over 200 photos help to illustrate the biblical text. These were selected from the extensive archive of the Biblical Illustrator. The images are uniformly of high quality and almost invariably are placed in such a way to as to illustrate nearby textual material. They are well labeled, alth...