yes the DBI as it is called in the Wilhoit house is the bestest book ever (after the Bible of coarse!). i have been meandering arround his office and old students have come in and told him what a great book this was!!! Buy it!! I come in like a billion languages (Korean, Chinese, and English)
~Juliana Wilhoit

This is a very extensive, yet concise topical dictionary that explores the countless metaphors and images so prevelant in the Bible. It is amazing how much God used symbolism to represent Himself or His promises, and most people (including the OT Jews) never caught it.

One point of interest to me was the meaning behind the lampstand God had Moses contruct. Most people overlook the details God gave concerning it's construction and what it referred to, but not this book...

If you are a fan of the IVP series that includes such volumes as "Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels," "Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments," "Dictionary of Paul and His Letters," you will thoroughly enjoy this reference book.

I really had no clue as to how important biblical imagery was before i read many parts of this dictionary. Biblical imagery isn't just for Catholics anymore! Biblical imagery is so important to the bible because the bible is wrapped up in imagery.

Why does God refer to His followers as sheep? What was the significance of the prodigal son getting a robe, ring and sandals when he returned home? How are various metaphors used in scriptures? How does Old Testament imagery relate to New Testament writings? All these are questions that many of us have entertained and are answered in great depth in this dictionary. I don't remember what course this book was necessary for in bible school, but I am sure glad that I got my hands on it.

If you are a preacher, pastor or a leader in the church you need to get your hands on this book too. Biblical imagery is too important for us to be ignorant of. God uses imagery to emphasize points or principles and we need to know what He is saying instead of being confused at why such a figure would be used to tell a parable or story.

This book gives the reader an excellent introduction to ideals of the Puritan movement. It is packed full of quotations since the point of the book is to let the Puritans speak for themselves on selected topics.

This book is an introduction to Puritan thought as a whole, so it does not touch on specific situations. It is very broad and deals with both English and American Puritanism. Though this book is excellent, it should be known by all of you potential buyers that it deals with historical Puritan thought and not with the hard history of facts and events.

Another bonus of this book is that it presents the Puritans in clear light. Dr. Ryken celebrates the Puritan culture but at the same time recognizes that they had clear faults. He includes a whole chapter on things we can learn from the negative examples within Puritanism.

I was most pleased to find this book. Though I am a believer in the Puritans being the pinnacle of christianity I knew that they couldn't be perfect. Mr. Ryken has written a most readable and enjoyable history of the Puritans. He does not shy away from clear problems that they had.

What caught my interest most was his demonstration through his scholarship that society under the Puritan "Ideal" had problems, but was infinitely better off than most other areas in western Europe. John Calvin and his followers in Switzerland were clearly extreme in their use of scriptural discipline. The American Puritans were fanatics of control and discipline. The English Puritans were more well rounded in how they were to effect their society.

With all that said, Mr. Ryken has shown that the Puritans were not only good people, but may have been the true moral fiber of their different cultures. There seems to be an underlying truth that where the Puritans had the most influence, the people were the most safe and taken care of by the clergy.

Were there mistakes in the Puritan movement? Yes, and again I say YES. A mistakeless society or movement is the figment of a deranged imagination or science fiction. The Puritans were human. They did wrong. When they were shown the wrong, from a biblical perspective, they repented and made the change.

Modern revisionist historians have made much of the Puritan intolerence's for many things. If these historians would just read Mr. Ryken's book they would see, if they are honest, that the Puritans were very honorable and did stick to what they truly believed to be true.

I liked this book because it made me admire the Puritans afresh. I now believe that when someone insults me by alluding to my "Puritan" ethics that I am being complemented much more than I deserve. I would hope to live up to such a statement.

I taught Hermeneutics, a course on how to study the Bible, for 13 years at S.C.S.E. I read "Words of Delight" (when it was still a two volume work) six years into my work with the school and found that it fit the bill for what I wanted to accomplish with my students.

The book is divided into four parts treating Biblical Narrative first. Part two focuses on Biblical Poetry; Part Three on Other Biblical Literary Forms and Part Four, The New Testament. Some books treat the Bible as nothing more than literature. But if you are looking for a book that helps you to appreciate the literary aspects of the Bible while at the same time addressing it as the Word of God, this book is for you.

Frankly, I am surprised that someone else hasn't already written a glowing report of this book for Amazon. I recommend it to every Bible student. It is the single-most useful book I have read on the subject. (I would also recommend a work Dr. Ryken co edited, "Dictionary of Biblical Imagery" and "The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible," and a book he co-authored with Jim Wilhoit, "Effective Bible Teaching.")

Oh, why don't I just come right out and say it, "If Leland Ryken's name is associated with it, get it.

The book is well organized, highly researched, and well written, but very boring! It simply analyzes biblical literature to death and makes many of the not so interesting and not so well written parts of the Bible out to be much more than they really are. It's a bit like trying to make the phone book out to be a great piece of literature. It isn't. It is a good source of information and that's all. The Bible has some nice literary parts to it to be sure, but the author stretches the value of much of the literature in the Bible. Her focus on the mundane, was tedious, and left much to be desired. I would have much rather had her be less detailed and cover the more interesting and valid aspects of Biblical literature rather than trying to make even Geneologies and redundant historical accounts out to be more interesting than they really are. Frankly, many of the stories in the Bible are really not that well written and to try and make it seem as though they are is just delusion.

This book will increase your hability to undertand the Bible. It will help you to consider the biblical narratives according to their different structures... A must-have !

Each book of the Bible is examined for its literary value by different contributers who are scholars (Biblical and literary) in their respective field. Although the two main genres contained in the Bible- poetry and narrative- are emphasized, other genres are also examined. Layman or expert, student or teacher will all benefit from reading this literary exposition of the Bible. I recommend Ryken's and Longman's book to anyone wishing to expand his knowledge of various literary genres and also willing to have his present view of the Bible challenged. A Christian may be startled by the literary freedom displayed through the writings of each Biblical author and the non-Christian can appreciate the beauty of the Bible as a literary work.

Professor Ryken has done an excellant job of writing an introduction to the classics of literature from a Christian perspective. He discusses several of his personal favorites and uses them to illustrate his points about different genres and how they can be read and understood from a Christian worldview. He spends some time covering matters that are non-issues for those of us outside of the fundamentalist community, such as whether it is appropriate for Christians to read fictional literature that is not specifically Christian in its content and outlook. Overall I found him to provide meaningful food for thought on how to read and interpret classic literature in a way that is informed by my faith. He has also served as a catalyst for a renewed desire to read (and re-read) many of the classics. I highly recommend this title to those who are interested in reading the classics and are interested in how their faith is relevant to that entreprise.

The author of this book methodically goes through the fallacies behind the theory of dynamic equivalence. The author does make the point that his intention is not to just speak negatively about particular versions but you cannot help but come to the same conclusion as the author as he lays out his reasons and cites various examples. Be prepared to put on your literary thinking cap so to speak.

It was quite shocking to realize the liberty that some translators take with the Word of God to the point that the text is no longer a translation but the translotor's commentary. This book will also challenge you to really read the notes from the translation team at the beginning of your Bible. Some translations will blatantly tell you that they don't translate some words or names of God directly from the Greek or Hebrew text. The author then goes on to demonstrate what interpretation problems can develop as a result of using the dynamic equivalent theory of translation. Ryken is the literary stylist for the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Throughout the book you will almost immediately realize that this author is a strong proponent of the new English Standard Version but please do not let that keep you from purchasing this book and really listening to the author's very compelling argument.

When I read or study the Bible I want to know that I am reading what God says in His Word and not what the translator thinks He really meant or what they think He meant to say today or in today's language. Be prepared to be challenged about the dynamic equivalent translation of the Bible that you carry to church.

After reading this exceptional and important work and reading some of the "reviews" I felt compelled to write my own review. I hope this helps.

Since the middle of the twentieth century there has been an explosion of translations of the Bible into English. Between 1952 and 1990 there were twenty-seven English versions of the entire Bible. Several have been added to this number since 1990. Many are excited about this ever-expanding number; others are contending that there may be some negative unintended consequences due to this development.

Most discussions and debates about the "best" translation of the Bible into modern English are rooted in misconceptions about the most reliable original manuscripts, varying philosophies of language, and various translation philosophies. The two main camps are the literal word-for-word, or the dynamic equalevant thought-for-thought.

Dr. Leland Ryken, Professor of English at Wheaton College, brings a unique and discerning perspective to this discussion. Due to his expertise as a Biblical literary critic, Ryken is highly qualified to enter this arena. He has written several helpful books that apply the discipline of literary analysis to the Scriptures. In this current book, Ryken places the discussion of the best English version of the Bible translation within a broader context. The majority of books written over the past few decades that examine English Bibles either take a historical approach by examining the development of the numerous versions, or a linguistic comparison of particular words, phrases or ideas from the original languages into English. Ryken poses different questions and examines the discussion from a broader cultural and literary perspective while providing exceptionally perceptive analysis.

One of the many keen observations within his work, Ryken explores the shift from the more literal KJV, RSV and NASB to the more parphasistic NIV and NLT. He questions the philosophy behind this shift and highlights the errors inherent with diverse translating philosophies. By placing questions of "thought" translations in a philosophical context (how does one have thoughts without words?) and literary context (are some ways of expressing an idea not better than others?), Ryken makes a tremendous contribution to an extremely important issue. Ryken offers persuasive evidence that there is a substantial difference between a translation of the Bible and an interpretation of the Bible.

The book is not a tirade against the KJV for being archaic English or the NIV for being too tolerant by adding words where they are absent, or deleting words where they are present in the original. Ryken is laying the groundwork for dealing with the serious matter of having the best English Bible. Specifically regarding the KJV, Ryken praises the literary quality style of the KJV, while recognizing that it "has become culturally obsolete with its archaic language and deficient scholarship."

Three sections are dedicated to refuting common fallacies of translation. He also does a marvelous job of establishing the criteria of what would be the best English Bible. Nearly half of the book is dedicated to exposing and refuting faulty ideas about the Bible in English and the other half provides many helpful suggestions toward solving these problems.

Ryken's book is a much-needed corrective to misguided translation theories that have contributed to a debasing, rather than an elevating, of the English language. Anyone with a college level education or someone well read and familiar with these issues would benefit from this book.

This is a book I find not only extremely informative, but fascinating and well-written. I have longed been troubled by dynamic-equivalence translations...but could not precisely articulate WHY I was bothered by them (except for words added or taken away). But learning how dynamic equivalent translations "destablilize" the Biblical text, "obscure the world of" the original text, perform "reductionism" and limit the exegetical possiblilities of a text--are issues of vital importance.

True, Ryken is an apologist for the English Standard Version, but notwithstanding--this is a book that I believe is a 'must' read for anyone who wants to understand the philosophies and principles that go into editorial decision when it comes to translating the Bible.
This is a book I have read and reread...and it continues to impress upon me issues that are worthy of study and reflection. I have come to the conclusion that for serious study of the Bible, formal equivalence is the way to go. Save dynamic equivalence for its "commentary" value. I hope this book gets widely distributed in Bible book stores. The wider Christian community needs to be exposed to this book. Excellent job, Ryken!

Ryken's books offers a few interesting points, and may be very useful to the Christian who doesn't have a clue about how to view modern art. But there is nothing profound here, and much that could go without saying. Also, the book is poorly organized. I didn't learn much even after writing essays on it for art class. Schaeffer's "Art and the Bible" says just as much in about 200 fewer pages.

Ryken's clear prose makes this book stand out from other introductions to the arts. The organization of concepts and examples give readers a good grasp of basic issues within specific art forms. Ryken also identifies Christian philosophies of the arts, assisting the reader to articulate his or her own philosophy through development of or comparison to the ideas in the text. I have used this text successfully with advanced high school students as well as with college students. Enjoyable reading--not dry!

The intro lists the key doctrines related to the arts. other highlights (for this painter/art educator)include chapter 2: "What the Bible says about the Arts", ch.4: "The World of Imagination", ch.7:"What is Christian Art?". the summaries at the end of the chapters, along with the lists for further reading and bibliographies are also very valuable. readable & helpful. I appreciate the hard questions that Ryken asks, and his devotion to the arts and literature in a day that embraces trivial pop culture.

What else do I need to say? This book is a garbled version of a Siskel and Ebert review of the latest Hollywood releases. While the intentions seem pure, the result lacks discipline and effect. It's overly sentimental and, at points, pretentious. Thanks for listening.

A few years ago, I reviewed Leland Ryken's The Liberated Imagination; since then, I have received numerous e-mails, from new teachers, recent graduates, or generally inquisitive "thinking Christians" asking for similar books. Their question was essentially, "How do I stay connected to the challenging and imaginative body of work I was introduced to throughout college? How do I keep these great questions important for me?" In short, how can I live so that my commencement really signals a beginning?" At something of a loss for the best reply, I pointed them toward the works of literature which have been formative in my own thinking, those writers which set my own imagination ablaze.

Here is a collection of 100 such replies.

"We do not live long enough to learn all of the things which it is essential for our survival to know:" and Harold Bloom, "there's no time to lose reading bad books." Reading for Life provides not only a path of guided study for the lifetime student, but, through the commentaries, examples of Godly leadership, and Godly readership, from the faculty of one of the most distinguished liberal arts facilities in the country.
As a writer and a student of literature, I've rarely been so (grandly, confidently) assured of the value of this discipline, as by Reading for Life
[I've also rarely felt so ambitious!]

What books have gone into the formation of Christian intellectuals? This book contains short entries by a group of Christian college professors on the books that have helped to shape their thought. In some cases the choices are delightfully surprising, as for example one philosopher's selection of P. G. Wodehouse novels. This book will stimulate your appetite to read the books these professors recommend.