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Book Overview
Reading the Bible to Meet Jesus is a refreshed English version and study guide for the ancient work Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, written by early church leader Irenaeus of Lyons. Irenaeus captures a sense of the epic scope of God’s plans being worked out in history, culminating in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Irenaeus interacts deeply with Scripture to show how this grand story of God’s activity and presence is demonstrated throughout the Bible. The study guide materials include introductions and discussion questions for each chapter. The questions promote exploration of ancient and modern church experience, engagement with core Christian beliefs and ideas, attention to values and spiritual growth, suggested responses of worship and obedience, and the formation of new habits to integrate into readers’ lives. Readers will find Irenaeus’s enthusiasm for Scripture and the God of Scripture contagious.
Greg MaGee's refresh of Irenaeus of Lyons's "Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching" invites readers to be tutored in the rule of faith by a church father too often neglected by evangelicals. MaGee's inviting paraphrase, along with his introductory notes and insightful footnotes, helps us learn from a man who seeks Jesus in all the Bible—and who witnesses him in his Trinitarian majesty more than a century before such Trinitarian champions as Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers, Hilary, or Augustine! Along the way, MaGee has added section titles to the ancient, numbered paragraphs and for each chapter offers questions which help the reader hear Irenaeus with fidelity and insight. This book is a call to see, know, and delight in Christ from two men who love him well.
Richard A. Shenk, PhD
Director of Master of Theology Programs
Associate Professor of Theology
Bethlehem College and Seminary
Irenaeus’s Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, even though written in a different age and for a different audience, speaks clearly and authoritatively to all followers of Jesus Christ in every corner of the world. He invites us to approach Scripture as seekers, desiring to meet Jesus and be blessed by him. In an age where many churches embrace erroneous teachings and many Christians lead lives that are more in line with the pagan world, Irenaeus calls us back to a right orthodoxy and right orthopraxy. The introductory notes and study questions help guide the reader into a deeper understanding of the text. I highly recommend this book for individual study and as catechism material in the local church.
Moses Kintu, PhD
Missionary, Campus Crusade for Christ, Malawi
Adjunct Lecturer, New Testament Department
International Leadership University, Kenya
Irenaeus’s Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching is a wonderfully clear and concise overview of biblical theology. It identifies Christ as the unifying thread that knits the sixty-six books of Scripture into a single volume. Greg MaGee effectively guides readers through this work with thoughtfully written commentary and questions, both of which are well suited for group discussion as well as personal reflection. Pastors will find MaGee’s concluding “Soul Work and Soul Care” appendix full of valuable suggestions for putting this book to work across the breadth of church ministry.
