Reader Ethan Russell writes:

…I have been amazed at what reading the Bible Matrix series has done in the way of clarifying my insight into scripture and seeing the “Whole Christ” to borrow from Michael Bull’s title. (I’ve read an excerpt of Totus Christus and can’t wait to read it.) I recently lent The Bible Matrix to my friend Sigi, who is a bright light of a man and will always pray with anyone who asks. He narrowly escaped Nazi Germany as a young man with his mother and sisters but sadly his father died in a concentration camp. He was quite excited about the amount of “revelation” in these books, and even stood up during announcements in the service and praised “Introduction to the DNA of the Scriptures” with his characteristic cheer. This is no heretical Bible code nonsense. No Gnostic (secret knowledge worship) here. It is simply the patterns, God’s fingerprints, impressed upon the book which calls itself the living word of God (Christ is called the Word of God). “Upon” might be the wrong adjective. It is fractal, coiled DNA, the substance of the “body” of Christ…

It just so happens that these genes run through all of scripture. (There are other patterns too, like the 5 point covenant pattern.) I am just beginning to grasp this material, but every time something else clicks I am more encouraged to continue learning. It sort of begins pulling together the aerial view of the Biblical narrative. Michael brings this up in the first book. Every time a question starts to arise he addresses it in the next paragraph.

Another interesting result is that the pieces of the Biblical text that we have seen as obsolete (whether or not we would admit that) find their place in God’s sovereign story…

bmxreview

Michelle Roise

Impressive insights— but too much to process on a regular read through. I expect this will be referred to time and again as I read through my Bible year by year. The author is thoroughly familiar with his material, but it will take time to assimilate all he’s set out for consideration. Despite exposure to both of his inspirational authors, James B. Jordan and Dr. Peter Leithart, and my husband (who has also been discipled by these writers) there were many new ideas and connections I’d never heard or thought of before. I expect the relationships will be verified as it seems completely within the character of our Great God to write any number of meaningful and complex matrices such as these into the heart of His Book to us. Only 4 stars of 5— until I can grasp the fullness of his ideas altogether. Then it will certainly be 5.

 bmxreview

MICHAEL BULL

Bible Matrix I (Google Books preview)   Reviews   Amazon

Bible Matrix II (Google Books preview)   Reviews   Amazon

God’s Kitchen: Theology You Can Eat & Drink (Google Books preview)  Amazon

Totus Christus: A Biblical Theology of the Whole Christ
(A few copies of “review edition” left. Contact author.)

Reading the Bible in 3D (Entry level intro to Bible structure)  Amazon

The Shape of Galatians: A Covenant Literary Analysis  Amazon

The following books are in preparation, either mentally or physically…

Bible Matrix III: The House of God  (2014 – Biblical Architecture)

Sweet Counsel: Essays to Brighten the Eyes (2014 – Assorted Essays)

The Voice of the Bride  (2014 – Women and the Covenant)

Bible Matrix IV: The Crystal Sea  (2015 – Structure of Sacraments & Sainthood)

Walking On Water: A Biblical Theology of Baptism (2015)

Bible Matrix V: The Last Days  (2015 – Basic Structure of the Revelation)

Seed, Flesh and Skin: The Shape of Genesis

Blood and Water: The Shape of Exodus

Sex and Death: The Shape of Leviticus

Walking in the Fire: The Shape of Numbers

Plunder and Plagues: The Shape of Deuteronomy

JAMES B. JORDAN

Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World (PDF)

Judges: God’s War Against Humanism (PDF)

The Future of Israel Re-examined

PETER J. LEITHART

The Promise of His Appearing: An Exposition of Second Peter

Against Christianity

DAVID CHILTON

The Days of Vengeance: A Commentary on the Book of Revelation (PDF)

Bible Matrix

A Good Reference Tool and Curiosity Ignitor

The Bible Matrix is a great introduction to significant patterns and connections in the Bible. Bull does a good job of simplifying and graphically presenting these patterns in a way that brings the reader in a rapid way into a world of new vistas they might not have had any idea about.

Reading Bible Matrix might feel like getting blasted with a fire hose. To mix metaphors, Bull ushers you into a house that might be somewhat unfamiliar to many readers, and he gives you the fast tour. This has its drawbacks, but also its benefits. Readers get a big picture view of complex structural beauties of the Bible which prepares readers for closer inspection arguments elsewhere (or within the Bible Matrix itself on second reading). And it will definitely pique your interest into exploring the rooms more closely.

One drawback of this kind of presentation is that sometimes the connections Bull asserts are not thoroughly articulated and the reader is left having to take his word for it how one type of pattern relates to the other.

I often use the Bible Matrix as a quick reference to get my bearings on where I am in my studies in relation to certain patterns and structures. The graphic design of the book lends itself to this kind of reference usage.

Bible Matrix II: The Covenant Key

Bull Illuminates Fascinating Themes from the Bible

In The Covenant Key, Bull goes into more detail about themes from his first book. He brings his insights into the key patterns and structures of the Bible to developing themes associated with God’s covenant relationship with his people and his covenantal dealings in Biblical history.

Similar to the first book, Bull covers a lot of ground and tries to pack it in and organize it in graphic ways in order to bring as much as he can as quickly and simply as he can to his readers. And similar to the first book this comes with its advantages and disadvantages. In one sense he is attempting an impossible task, these things are too big to be comprehensibly handled in this way. But Bull’s intention isn’t to do it all. And if the reader realizes that the book can’t do it all on the front end there is a ton of great stuff in here to learn from, enjoy, and be tantalized by. There is much that will challenge you and compel you to search out more, which is a good thing. Bull makes reading theology books fun and exciting (if not also frustrating, wanting more footnotes and/or appendices).

bmxreview
bmxiireview

The original book has a new review on amazon by Aaron Gunsaulus. Thanks Aaron.

Get This Book

If you’ve read through the other reviews, you’ll already have some sense of the content of Bible Matrix. I don’t want to add anything to those reviews, other than to say that I am fairly familiar with the work of James B. Jordan, and cannot stress enough its importance for the bride of Christ, and how we view the Scriptures.

What Michael Bull has done here is to take decades of some of the most profound teaching, commentary, scholarship, writing, and thought in existence and condense it into a very accessible, yet challenging and original work of his own.

Thus, Bible Matrix can be seen as an introduction to Jordan’s work; but it also stands on its own. And once you read it–once you begin to see all that you haven’t seen in the Bible before–you’ll want to read more. I guarantee it.

bmxreview

Maria, a 77 year old theology warrior on the American Vision forum, writes the following:

I got Bible Matrix on Kindle, and I’m delighted. I just started studying it, but I’m already sure it will be a great help for many people. We know that there is “harmony” in the Bible, but how to find and define a “system” within the seemingly unorganized material, is a problem for modern people, because we are educated in the Greek-Roman, “linear” thought process. Thanks to your dedicated research it became much easier.

More than forty years ago I was taking courses in philosophy, and I argued constantly with my atheist professor. I claimed that there is unity in the Bible. He, of course, had the usual humanist view that the Book is a collection of unrelated myths, preserved by ancient “sheepherders.” He challenged me to write an essay to prove my point. It was a tough assignment. I was not very convincing; I’m afraid. All I could say—based on more faith than scholarship—that although the Biblical narratives are not written in the argumentative style, they include a special “brand” of logic of their own, and they are compelling and rational in the whole. I wish I had your book at that time.

Nevertheless, this incident spurred me to study harder. Eventually, I began to put together the “jigsaw puzzle” and began to see the glorious tapestry woven together from various motifs and scenes to convey God’s message. It is a never ending work because I find more and more pieces. I’m only 77; I hope to have a few more years.

I truly appreciate your theory of “repeated patterns.” You wrote:

The purpose of identifying this pattern in the Scriptures is not to ignore their obvious message in favor of a hidden one. It is a foundation for interpreting them correctly so we can better understand the temptation and suffering we experience, and better obey God’s glorious purposes for us in Christ.

Thank you, Mike!

You should see this lady go head to head in online debate with an arrogant barbarian. She knocks ‘em dead and cuts off their heads.

Thanks for the review.

bmxreview

Filmmaker Darren Doane (“Collision” www.collisionmovie.com) reviews Mike Bull’s Bible Matrix: An Introduction to the DNA of the Scriptures, and then lets a 12 year old Veritas Hall student explain the basics for the grownups.

“We have been using your Bible Matrix book during our time of staff training and it has proven to be a huge blessing and is reshaping the way we think as both a staff and school. Thank you.”
Dennis Deutsch
Veritas Hall
bmxreview

Rick Capezza has reviewed Bible Matrix on amazon.com.

The Bible’s Big Picture

Oftentimes, I will hear the Bible described as a “manual for living.” Michael Bull paints another picture. In Bible Matrix, he shows the Bible as a work of art, literature, and history.

As a college literature instructor, I had the blessing of covering the Bible as literature. I wish Bible Matrix had been a textbook. Bull’s work is about the language of the Bible; it is about how the Bible speaks. Many Protestants speak about “interpreting Scripture with Scripture,” but many miss the story of Scripture. Michael Bull gives the reader a framework for understanding both the Scriptures and the world. This book is essential for every student of literature, history, and the Bible.

I have been fortunate to earn degrees in linguistics, literature, and liturgy. Bible Matrix taught me something new about each of those fields. Bible Matrix, however, is not written for the academic. It is composed in a fluid style and geared toward the layperson. It can be used as a home school text or a small group text. One thing is certain: this is a book that must be bought and shared with others. Buy it now. Better yet — buy three or four because you are going to want others to read this book.

bmxreview

Mind blowing! Did you know that Genesis One unlocks the Bible?

Often the flaming sword of Scripture is hidden beneath the systematics of study, but here Mike Bull adroitly wields the blade allowing “the Bible to speak its own language. It comes in like a sword and violates our thinking until we think the way God does. God does not speak in theological jargon or ideology divorced from reality. He speaks in the energizing, intoxicating, flesh-and-blood symbols of the Creation, and so should we.”

The Bible is living and active. It cuts so deep, even to its heart that throbs with the glory of God. The Bible Matrix acts as a stethoscope, bringing one near to hear the patterns and rhythms of that passion.

Eyes ablaze and mind engaged, the “Bible Matrix” offers structures of Scripture that integrate the Old and New into one glorious Masterpiece, leaving the reader to be read by the Author whose, “Bible recasts the shape of the way we think in order to forge the shape of the way we we live.”

This book will form your mind and fill your heart with the impressions of a Christianity that does not remain behind your eyeballs and chest, but flows through your hands and feet, on earth as it is in heaven.

bmxreview

Another amazon.com review. A. G. McIntosh writes:

Michael Bull draws heavily upon the biblical insights of James Jordan. (This is noted immediately as the book is dedicated to Jordan). This is a very good thing, since Jordan’s studies on literary structures and symbolism in the Bible are crucial for obtaining a consistent interpretative framework of the whole counsel of God. As a reader of Jordan myself, I expected Bible Matrix to be full of great information, but nothing I hadn’t been exposed to already. Several chapters in I realized how wrong I was!

Mr. Bull takes the foundational structures that men like Jordan and Peter Leithart have long advocated, and applies them to various biblical themes/stories that many people may have not considered before. Chapter 4: Festivals is a great example. We generally find the intricate details of the Old Testament to be tiresome and end up ignoring them altogether, not seeing their significance or coherency. Bull lays out the 7 Feasts of Israel and shows how they fit into the same outline – or “matrix” – that flows throughout all of Scripture. This not only helps one to understand the details of Israel’s traditions more fully, but we ultimately see how they all point forward to Christ the Messiah, and consequently the Church, since we are united to his body as his bride.

This is a very invigorating book and I recommend it to anyone wishing to dive deeper into the richness of biblical theology. Good for personal growth, but also for helping the church at large to breathe the Scriptures so we can consistently defend the Bible from shallow attacks and progress towards fulfilling the Great Commission.

bmxreview