Free UK delivery on orders over £20 — all May 2026
Wikimedia Commons — Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

Learn · Course

Getting to Know the Bible

A 12-session introduction to the story, structure and message of the Bible.

An accessible first course for new readers, returning readers, small groups and anyone who wants a clear way in.

Start here

Begin a 12-session introduction to the Bible

A 12-session introduction to the story, structure and message of the Bible.

Start the course
Sessions

A path of 12 short sessions

  1. Session 1: What is the Bible?

    Next

    An orientation to what the Bible is, how it came together, and why it has been read for centuries.

    15–20 minutes 2 Timothy 3:14–17 · Psalm 119:105

  2. Session 2: The Bible as one big story

    A bird’s-eye view of the Bible’s storyline — from creation, through Israel and Jesus, to the renewal of all things.

    20–25 minutes Genesis 1–3 · Luke 24:25–27 · Revelation 21:1–5

  3. Session 3: How the Bible is arranged

    How the books are grouped, what the chapter and verse numbers do, and how to find your way around.

    15–20 minutes Nehemiah 8:1–8

  4. Session 4: Creation, calling and covenant

    The opening movement: a good world, a calling on Abraham, and the early shape of God’s promises.

    20–25 minutes Genesis 1–2 · Genesis 12:1–3 · Genesis 15

  5. Session 5: Israel, kings and prophets

    From the exodus to the monarchy: a people, a land, a temple, and prophets calling them home.

    20–25 minutes Exodus 19–20 · 2 Samuel 7 · Isaiah 6

  6. Session 6: Exile, return and hope

    What happens when the story seems to end — and how the prophets keep hope alive.

    20–25 minutes 2 Kings 25 · Jeremiah 29:4–14 · Isaiah 40:1–11

  7. Session 7: The world Jesus was born into

    Roman rule, Jewish hope, Greek language, and the long silence between the testaments.

    15–20 minutes Luke 1:5–17 · Luke 2:1–7

  8. Session 8: The life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus

    The Gospels in overview: who Jesus is, what he taught, and why his death and resurrection matter.

    25–30 minutes Mark 1 · Luke 15 · John 19–20

  9. Session 9: The early church and the New Testament letters

    How a small group of followers became a movement, and what the letters were trying to do.

    20–25 minutes Acts 2 · Philippians 2:1–11

  10. Session 10: How to read different kinds of Bible writing

    Story, law, poetry, prophecy, gospel, letter — each is read a little differently.

    20 minutes Psalm 23 · Proverbs 3:5–6 · 1 Corinthians 13

  11. Session 11: How the Bible came to us

    Manuscripts, canon, translation and printing — a quick tour of 2,000 years of transmission.

    20–25 minutes

  12. Session 12: How to keep reading the Bible well

    Habits, plans, communities and tools that help you keep going.

    15–20 minutes Psalm 1 · James 1:22–25