The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer - Short Studies in Biblical Theology - Paperback

The Greatest Story Ever Told Has a Dragon. And a Hero Who Slays It.

Every culture tells versions of this story. The hero and the dragon. The epic battle in which everything hangs in the balance. The moment when it looks like the dragon might prevail — and then the hero saves the day. We find it in the oldest myths, the greatest novels, and the most spectacular films. Something deep in the human soul longs for this story.

And that longing is there for a reason.

Because this is the main theme of the Bible.

In The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer, trusted biblical scholar Andrew David Naselli traces the theme of serpents and dragons through both Testaments — showing how this thread, woven through the whole of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, tells the ultimate version of the story our hearts have always been reaching for. The struggle between God’s offspring and the offspring of the serpent. The battle that began in Eden with a deadly deception. And the climactic, triumphant victory of Jesus — the serpent slayer — over the devouring dragon in the book of Revelation.

This is biblical theology at its most captivating — a book that reveals the deep unity of Scripture, satisfies the longing that every dragon-slaying story awakens, and leads readers to rejoice in the ultimate hero whose victory is complete, final, and forever.

What This Book Covers

Andrew David Naselli traces the serpent and dragon theme carefully through both Testaments:

• The serpent in Eden — Genesis 3: The first and most fateful appearance of the serpent — the craftiest of all creatures — and the curse that sets the stage for everything that follows
• The promise of the serpent slayer — Genesis 3:15: The protoevangelium — God’s first gospel promise that the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head — and how this promise drives the whole biblical narrative forward
• Serpents and dragons in the Old Testament — How the serpent theme reappears throughout the Old Testament — in the exodus, in the prophets, and in the wisdom literature — building toward its ultimate fulfilment
• The dragon in Revelation — How the book of Revelation brings the serpent theme to its thunderous climax — revealing the dragon in all his malevolence and the Lamb who defeats him
• Jesus as the serpent slayer — How the death and resurrection of Jesus is the decisive moment in the cosmic battle — the moment the serpent’s head is crushed at the cost of the hero’s heel
• Why this theme matters — How recognising this unifying narrative transforms the way we read the Bible — and how it satisfies the deep human longing for the ultimate story
• Rejoicing in the ultimate victory — A call to exult in the complete, final, and forever victory of Jesus over the devouring dragon

What Readers Will Learn

• Why the hero-and-dragon story that captivates human culture across every age and place is rooted in the deepest reality — the cosmic struggle between God’s offspring and the serpent’s
• How the serpent and dragon theme runs as a unifying thread through the whole of Scripture — from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20
• What Genesis 3:15 — the protoevangelium — actually promises, and how that promise drives the whole biblical narrative forward toward its fulfilment in Jesus
• How the book of Revelation brings the serpent theme to its climactic conclusion — and what the dragon’s defeat means for the people of God
• Why Jesus’ death and resurrection is the decisive serpent-slaying moment — and how the apparent defeat of the cross is actually the crushing of the serpent’s head
• How biblical theology — tracing themes across the whole of Scripture — opens up the Bible’s deep unity and its captivating, overarching narrative
• Why the Bible’s main story is not just intellectually satisfying but emotionally and spiritually thrilling — because it is the true version of the story our hearts have always longed for

How to Use This Book

The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer is engaging, accessible, and immediately enriching:

• Personal reading — Ideal for any Christian wanting to understand one of the Bible’s most captivating unifying themes — and to see the deep unity of Scripture in a fresh and thrilling way
• Small group study — Rich enough to generate genuine discussion about biblical theology, the nature of the Bible’s story, and what Jesus’ victory over the serpent means for our lives
• Evangelistic gift — A compelling and accessible book for a friend who loves stories — especially the hero-and-dragon kind — and who might be surprised to discover that the Bible tells the ultimate version
• Biblical theology introduction — A natural and engaging entry point into the discipline of biblical theology — showing what it looks like to trace a theme through the whole of Scripture
• Sermon preparation — A valuable resource for pastors wanting to preach on the serpent theme or on the biblical theology of Jesus’ victory over evil

Who Should Read This Book

This book is for you if you are:

• A Christian wanting to understand the Bible’s deep unity — and to see how one captivating theme runs from the first pages to the last
• A lover of stories — especially epic tales of heroes and dragons — who wants to discover that the Bible tells the ultimate, truest version of that story
• A new or growing Christian wanting an engaging introduction to biblical theology and how to read the whole Bible as one unified narrative
• A pastor or teacher wanting a reliable, well-argued, and genuinely exciting resource on the serpent and dragon theme in Scripture
• Anyone who has ever felt the pull of the dragon-slaying story — and wondered why it resonates so deeply with something in the human soul

About the Author

Andrew David Naselli is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a pastor of The Bethlehem Baptist Church. He holds a PhD from Bob Jones University and another from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is the author of several books on biblical theology, sanctification, and the Christian life. Andrew is known for combining rigorous scholarship with clear, accessible writing — making demanding theological content genuinely engaging for ordinary readers. He is associated with the ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church — the church where John Piper served for over three decades — and brings to The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer both careful biblical-theological scholarship and a genuine delight in the captivating unity and drama of Scripture.