Product Description

This introductory textbook is intended for upper division college and seminary courses on biblical hermeneutics.

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Two Texts in One        Rating:

Two distinguished theologians come together to give us this Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics.

The text is divided into four main parts: "The Search for Meaning: Initial Directions," Understanding the Text: Meaning in Literary Genres," Responding to the Text: Meaning and Application," and "The Search for Meaning: Further Challenges."

Chapter one, "Who Needs Hermeneutics Anyway," is written by Moises Silva. Walter Kaiser Jr. takes up the next chapter and so the authors alternate throughout the book. Thus, we have a book that presents different--often opposing--viewpoints regarding Biblical interpretation. "In this way, the readers of our text do not get a party line, as it were, but are called upon to come to their own conclusion after eaves dropping on a vibrant conversation between two writers who dare to agree to disagree." Both authors, however, do agree in the unity and inspiration of Scriptures.

One unique chapter that would be of particular interest to some readers is titled "The Case for Calvinistic Hermeneutics." Dr. Silva argues that "Whether we mean to or not, and whether we like it or not, all of us reads the text as interpreted by our theological presuppositions. Indeed, the most serious argument against the view that exegesis should be done independently of systematic theology is that such a view is hopelessly naïve." The author then proceeds to make the case for interpreting Scripture in the light of God's sovereignty and the doctrines of grace.

In the 2007 Revised and Expanded edition, chapters on the following issues have been added: the role of Biblical theology in interpretation, how to deal with contemporary questions not directly addressed in the Bible, the New Testament use of the Old Testament, and the role of history in interpretation.

Both the beginner and the student more experienced in hermeneutics will benefit from this book. It will help the reader establish more sound methods of interpretation. Better than that, it will motivate one to more seriously study and apply Scripture for personal growth and edification.

GREAT READ        Rating:

Very informative and in laymens terms and easy to understand-Gives hermeneuticas a whole new meaning!! Highly recommended!!

An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics        Rating:

Very infomative and helpful in my understanding and interpreting the bible.

A great introduction that also points the reader toward further study        Rating:

This book by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. and Moises Silva is an excellent starting point for an investigation into all of the elements involved in Biblical hermeneutics (i.e. Biblical interpretation, as Silva so straightforwardly defines the term in the opening chapter).

The book is divided into four major parts (each part contains multiple chapters) which progressively build on one another; the interaction between the co-authors, as they take turns writing individual chapters, is remarkable. Kaiser and Silva do not always agree on all points, but the respectful interplay between their sometimes differing outlooks provides an example of what true scholarship is all about.

The four parts of the book have the following headings: 1) The Search for Meaning: Initial Directions (which includes general background information); 2) Understanding the Text: Meaning in Literary Genres; 3) Responding to the Text: Meaning and Application; and 4) The Search for Meaning: Further Challenges (which includes chapters on both the history of interpretation and contemporary approaches to interpretation).

The best thing about this book is that it is not so much a treatise on scholarly interpretation (though it certainly is scholarly), but that it attempts to help the reader to learn both how to interpret the Bible and then how to apply that interpretation to life. As the jacket copy of the book states, "In a culture that prizes individuality and personal freedom, the primary question is no longer 'Is it true?' but rather 'Does it matter?' Hence, the question of relevancy has taken precedence over the question 'What does the text mean?' This book therefore confronts the question of the meaning of meaning and shows how evangelicals may still clearly hear the Word from God amid the cacophony of the age."

For those who wish to pursue further study, especially in the areas of genre and critical approaches, the authors provide copious footnotes and an annotated bibliography at the end of the book. This is an excellent introduction to hermeneutics that is accessible to scholars and laypersons alike.

Right Place to Start on Biblical Hermeneutics        Rating:

For those wanting to know how one does proper hermeneutics this book is a good place to start. The authors (Walter Kaiser and Moises Silva) are conservative evangelical scholars and write from that perspective. Kaiser (who is a champion of multiple applications from a single text) and Silva (a traditional Reformed scholar) join together to help lay people and teachers on this important subject. Not only is this book good for seminarians who want to get a taste of hermeneutical methods, it also has a lot of practical applications for the laity who want to know how to read the Bible properly for personal devotion and life. Kaiser and Silva both avoid dry intellectualism, and write from a pastoral perspective too. Most of the chapters are good (especially Kaiser's), and most people will find this work very readable. However, I do have one concern over this book. It is a chapter written by Silva (Chapter 14: "The Case for Calvinistic Hermeneutics"). He contends that "proper exegesis should be informed by theological reflection. To put it in the most shocking way possible: my theological system should tell me how to exegete" (p. 261). True, Reformed theology's strength lies in its consistency, logic, coherence, and history. However, this can be its downful also (by the way, I am a Calvinist too). For instance, most in the Reformed tradition argue that Israel and the Church lie in continuity. Therefore, Israel as an ethnic body has no future in God's redemptive program. This leads them to reinterpret certain passages that speak of a national conversion of Israel near the Parousia (cf. Romans 11:26) to mean "spiritual Israel" (or the Church) or a "remnant" throughout history. Another example is Revelation 20. Since a literal Millennial Kingdom in the future is not compatible with Reformed/Covenant theology, they argue that we must spiritualize Revelation 20 to mean the present age (or interpret the "first resurrection" to mean a spiritual resurrection). The danger of allowing a Reformed "systematic theology" to control our exegesis of certain passages can lead to eisegesis and a meaning that is totally different from what the inspired writers meant to say. Here are the main methods of hermeneutics in Christianity:

1. Roman Catholic Hermeneutics:

Exegesis

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