Leslie Flores

How to Study the Bible

It has been my desire for over a decade now to be able to impart knowledge and resources about the Bible for free. I know firsthand how limiting a lack of money can be, but even more limiting than a lack of money is a lack of knowledge or access to knowledge of where to even start when studying the Bible. It can be confusing, overwhelming, and deeply discouraging—I know, I have been there. (Links to all resources below.)

Who am I?

My name is Leslie Flores, and I am doctoral student of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at the University of Göttingen in Germany. I have a master’s in Christian Theology from Trinity College Dublin, and a BA in Intercultural Studies from Northwest University. I spent many years serving in churches in Dublin, Ireland, until I felt myself called toward academia and the life of a scholar. I am a Pentecostal Christian, brought up in the Assemblies of God.

My Academic Story:

Starting from a small Pentecostal Bible college, wherein I became fascinated with the riches that the study of the Bible has to offer, I eventually found myself at home in the academy when I did my master’s in Dublin. However, upon finishing my master’s I still lacked key pieces like the biblical languages, and so despite my intense interest in the Bible, I was still unqualified to do doctoral work in this field.

However, in the process of developing my research proposal, in 2020, I connected with a scholar named Jacob L. Wright. In his kindness and generosity, he took the time to explain things to me, give me resources, and answer my manifold questions. I went from entirely under-qualified to study the Bible to receiving an invitation from my now Doktorvater (supervisor) in just a number of months. Because of him, now I am studying in one of the most renowned and rigorous Bible programs in Europe.

Now it is my turn to use the knowledge and experience I have gained to help people learn how to delve deeply into the Biblical text and its historical context. Also, it is my desire as a female scholar to illustrate that women too can be excellent scholars in a field that is still often male-dominated. For the longest time I had the impression that biblical studies was a boy’s club—and that is just not the case!

My Goal and Ethos:

I intend this to be a series of posts disseminating free resources and detailing how to use them. It is my goal initially to provide access to basic interpretive tools and resources for biblical languages. I also want to demystify confusing terminology with clear definitions, to help you find a clear path toward further resources you might need.

A final caveat: I am by no means the all-knowing Bible expert, so I may miss good resources. I will be updating these pages periodically. However, my intent is not to provide an exhaustive list, but a simple, step-by-step place guide for exactly where to start, to avoid overwhelming anyone.

If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them to help guide you to more specific resources: leslitaflores@outlook.com

Table of Contents and [Tentatively] Planned Sections:

Last Updated on: 27 December, 2023