Introductions to the Bible

How does one "introduce" something like the Bible or the New Testament to a student? A thoroughly complicated history, a complex document, and a further troubled history of transmission and interpretation all conspire to make the task impossible at best. To introduce such a text is at the outset an interpretive act that is fully biased by the interpreter. Even a reading of the text itself presupposes not only the interpretive step of translation, but also imposes the reading traditions of the faith community (or lack thereof) of the reader.

It seems that the best introductory texts on the New Testament or the Bible dive into historyfirst and then the text. History seems to provide some of the necessary background and information to avoid a completely biased understanding of the communities contained in and partially reflected by the text. This critical approach is not without its limits, as history is always written for a purpose. But when combined with archaeology and a nuanced understanding of text production, it seems perhaps the best way to begin.