author
Irving Francis Wood
1861–1934
A teacher, traveler, and biblical scholar, this early twentieth-century writer helped make the Bible approachable as literature as well as scripture. His work grew out of years in the classroom and a career spent connecting faith, history, and close reading.
1 Audiobook
The Bible Story
by Newton Marshall Hall, Irving Francis Wood
About the author
Born in Walton, New York, in 1861, Irving Francis Wood was an American biblical scholar and educator. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1885, taught at Jaffna College in Ceylon for several years, and then continued his studies at Yale and the University of Chicago.
Wood spent most of his career at Smith College, where he taught biblical literature and comparative religion. He was known as a careful teacher as well as a writer, and his books aimed to help readers approach biblical texts with both literary attention and historical curiosity.
Among his best-known works is The Bible as Literature, written with Elihu Grant, which reflects his gift for making a familiar text feel fresh and readable. Late in his career he also served as a visiting professor at Ginling College in Nanjing, China, before his death in 1934.