Josiah Blake Tidwell states "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19:18). It is the final word in all right relations to others." This statement in The Bible Period by Period , regarding the Laws of Moses, and echoed in the words of Jesus is the guiding principle by which Tidwell seems to have lived.

J. B. Tidwell was born in Alabama in 1870 to a modest family of farmers. He was educated at Alabama's Howard College (now Samford University), earned a Master's Degree from Baylor University in 1903, and did post graduate studies through a correspondence program of the University of Chicago. He also received several honorary degrees. Tidwell served as the Chairman of the Bible Department at Baylor University from 1910 until the time of his passing in 1946. Among his writings are The Bible, Book by Book (1914), The Bible, Period by Period (1916), Genesis: A Study of the Plan of Redemption (1924), and John and His Five Books (1937).

This book, The Bible Period by Period (1916) is a companion to Tidwell's The Bible Book by Book (1914). Both are college level introductory courses in Christian studies. They are each organized in outline form with questions at the end of each chapter to guide the student in acquiring a comprehensive mastery of the material.