Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

Klein, et al's Introduction to Bibilical Interpretation is a wonderful book that does exactly what it was designed to do - provide the best possible education experience on Biblical interpretation and hermeneutics for advanced Bible students. And when I say advanced, I am referring to students who are in seminary and studying for a Master's degree in Theological Studies, Biblical Studies, or Apologetics. This is how I was introduced to this text. It was one of my main textbooks in a high level (700 level) graduate course at a big evangelical seminary. The book is awesome, but sometimes is it just hard to read because there is just so much information the human mind can handle and comprehend at one time. In other words, this book is written at an advanced level. Just to give you an idea of the level of scholarship that supports this text, in the second chapter about the History of Interpretation, there were 160 footnoted references pointing to external sources, more information, or information that just had to be followed up on by the reader in order to get a full understanding of what was being introduced in the book. Don't misunderstand me, this book is the best, but it assumes it's audience is an audience composed of advanced bible readers, and advanced students of the Scriptures. That's is not to say anybody can't buy this book and read and understand it. But unless you are used to reading scholarly journals, you are not going to be reading this book like a novel and be done with it in a weekend. If you do get it, you will definitely have in your hands one of the best books on Biblical Interpretation and Hermeneutics that has ever been published.

This is an invaluable comprehensive resource for any serious student of the Bible who needs practical guidance in interpreting the Bible correctly. The three authors are Seminary professors who share their expertise on hermeneutics and affirm their position that a biblical text has one meaning that is discovered by using the historical/grammatical/semantical approach of interpretation. One must also consider the literary, cultural, and social issues of the text. Understanding a text in its context is also vitally important. The authors also explore other traditional and modern interpretative methods that reflect current biblical scholarship. Lastly, the authors discuss our role as interpreters and what we bring to a biblical text, i.e. preunderstandings, life experiences, etc. This is a great resource!

Very thorough and easily understood. I use this as a course textbook. Best feature is the presentation of opposing viewpoints.

I agree with the author: the book "focuses attention rather on the needs of the "practitioner" who desires a reliable guide to the actual practice of interpretation from a conservative point of view" I found the book to have all of what I was looking for, which is a textbook for a Hermeneutics class. Here is a random sample of my notes from the book, p. 202 a probable reading: -is possible according to the norms of the language -accounts for each linguistic component in the text -follows the conventions for its type of literature - is coherent It must account for: -what the text is about: facts or issues -why the text was written -the form in which the message is incarnated -the power or force of the text that results from previous three points

Potential readers will want to assure they look at this thoroughly revised and updated version of the book that originally appeared in 1993. This 2004 second edition responds to some of issues in reviews of the first edition and updates all the discussions, footnotes, and bibliographies. At the same time, it remains thoroughly evangelical in its approach and presuppositions--and does not seek to hide that fact. And while it acknowledges the more philosophical turn that "hermeneutics" has taken (the countours of which follow Schleiermarcher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, and Ricoeur), it focuses attention rather on the needs of the "practitioner" who desires a reliable guide to the actual practice of interpretation from a conservative point of view--not a philosophy of understanding. To fault it for not doing more is to ask for a book longer than the already formidable 563 pages.