Seek And You Shall Find

Exploring Scripture Through Crossword Puzzles

How well do you know the Bible? Do you know the Scriptures?

Seek and You Shall Find offers an interactive way to help you build your familiarity with the Scriptures, the inerrant Word of God. You’ll have the chance to challenge your knowledge and explore the Bible through crossword puzzles. Series One covers the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Each chapter covers one biblical book and provides a comprehensive overview, including the book’s author, its approximate date of writing, and a chapter-by-chapter outline. There is also a handy reference section listing all the subheadings of each chapter to enable the reader to quickly find key events, teachings, and stories and easily cross-reference these books to find out where each of the authors refers to the same or a familiar scene or occurrence. Each puzzle covers two to four chapters within a single book of the Bible, allowing them to serve as easy references and study guides.

This collection of crossword puzzles presents a fun way to build your biblical knowledge, explore the Scriptures, and take on a new challenge.

Seek and You Shall Find: Exploring Scripture Through Crossword Puzzles
by Jeffrey G. Hamman
WestBow Press

book review by Kellie Haulotte

“As an infant, I was baptized and thus given the Spirit of the Lord.”

Hamman’s latest work explores the Bible through a popular word hobby—crosswords. The modern version of crosswords was created in December 1913 by New York World editor Arthur Wynne. He created it right before World War I, and when war eventually broke out, the crossword was used to help people cope with the bleak news. This mirrors exactly what Hamman has created—a fun and engaging collection of puzzles that also uplifts through the use of scriptures from the books of the Bible. His first series covers the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, along with the Acts of the Apostles.

Before readers begin the puzzles, Hamman wisely explores each section, providing summaries of each chapter. For example, he explains that the fourteenth chapter is about John the Baptist being imprisoned by King Herod. It is also very handy that Hamman created heading outlines for each chapter. There is also an area where readers can put their own notes. This is unlike anything that readers (or puzzlers) will find in commercial puzzle books with a Bible theme. Usually, crossword puzzle books contain only the clues, and there are no guides to help one learn more about God. There is also another feature that is different from books readers would find from popular commercial puzzle creators like Brain Games or Kappa Puzzles: a personal touch that gives Hamman’s work a charming, authentic feel. Additionally, the author candidly shares his personal journey with Christ in the book’s final section.

This is a fine example of a tool to teach people about the Bible. It seems not to have been just created for those who are already experts on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the Acts of the Apostles. Those who get stuck on any puzzle clues would be happy to know that the clue tells exactly where to find the answer in the Bible. The first puzzle covers the first three chapters of Matthew. Therefore, the reader would find everything they needed in those chapters if they got stuck on a clue. That is not only helpful but also encourages the person to go further and read more than what has been listed. Hamman has set up a nice layout to pique the curiosity of any “novice Christian.”

That’s not to say that devout Christians are being left out in the cold. Rather, they will find the book to be the perfect way to test their knowledge, with easy to more difficult questions like “He was the father of Amminadab.” Overall, Hamman has created a book for anyone who wants to learn God’s teachings while providing a sense of fun and relaxation. It’s a good way for individuals to step away from technology for a few hours and reset when the world can be negative. As mentioned earlier, crosswords were a way to help with bleak times. Hamman’s book will likely help readers find the faith and spiritual knowledge to get through even the hardest times. In short, this is not just a book of puzzles but rather an encouraging guide to deeper understanding.