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How to Read the Bible

A practical, non-denominational guide to reading and studying the Bible well, for Nigerian readers of any faith or none.

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About this course

Many Nigerians have owned a Bible all their lives and still feel lost inside it: stuck in Leviticus, frightened by Revelation, unsure why a Catholic Bible has more books, or uneasy when a single verse is used to settle an argument. This course teaches you to read and study the Bible well. It is respectful and non-denominational: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox differences, from canons of 66, 73 and more books to how each tradition reads scripture, are presented fairly, Jewish and Muslim views are described as their own believers would recognise them, and contested questions are marked as contested. You will learn what the Bible is (a library, not one book), how it reached you through scribes, translators and printers, from Jerome to Tyndale to Samuel Ajayi Crowther's Yoruba Bible, and how to read each kind of writing in it: law, history, prophecy, poetry and wisdom, Gospels, letters and apocalyptic visions. You will learn to choose and compare translations, including Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa Bibles, to read in historical, literary and cultural context, to study a passage step by step through observation, interpretation and application, and to face hard passages on violence, slavery and claimed contradictions honestly. A Nigerian reading group meets throughout the course, and you finish with a reading habit you can keep and a written study of one passage. Learners of any belief, or none, are welcome and are graded on careful, fair reading, not on what they believe.

Funmi Ogunleye has promised her grandmother in Ibadan that she will read the whole Bible this year. On the first Wednesday of her new lunchtime reading group on Ring Road, she lays three Bibles on the table. Hers, an NIV, has 66 books. Chinedu's Catholic Bible has books called Tobit, Judith and Maccabees that she has never heard of. Her grandmother's Yoruba Bíbélì Mímọ́ is thick and worn. Then Ibrahim, a Muslim colleague who joined because he wants to understand the book his friends quote, asks a simple question: which of these is the Bible? Nobody can answer cleanly. This lesson gives the group, and you, a clear map of what the Bible is before anyone starts reading.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 12 lessons

  1. A library, not one book15 min
  2. How the Bible reached your hands16 min
  3. The Old Testament: law, history and the prophets16 min
  4. Wisdom and poetry: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes16 min
  5. The Gospels: four portraits16 min
  6. Acts and the letters: listening to one side of a conversation16 min
  7. Apocalyptic writing: Daniel and Revelation in context17 min
  8. Choosing a translation16 min
  9. Context: historical, literary and cultural16 min
  10. Reading a passage step by step: observe, interpret, apply18 min
  11. Hard passages and honest questions18 min
  12. A reading habit and the tools for study16 min

Your project

Your Passage Study

One Google Doc, shared so that anyone with the link can view, with headed sections for Parts 1 to 7 and a list of the translations and sources used.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is How to Read the Bible free?

Yes. How to Read the Bible is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does How to Read the Bible take to complete?

4 weeks · ~3 hrs/week. There are 12 lessons, about 3 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start How to Read the Bible?

Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in How to Read the Bible?

You will build practical skills in Finding your way around the Bible's books and canons, Explaining Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox canons fairly, Understanding how the Bible was copied and translated, Reading law, history, prophecy, poetry and wisdom, Reading the Gospels side by side, Following the argument of a New Testament letter, Reading apocalyptic writing in context, Choosing and comparing Bible translations, Reading in historical, literary and cultural context, Observation, interpretation and application, Handling hard passages honestly and fairly, Building a reading habit and using study tools. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for How to Read the Bible?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your Passage Study and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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