Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation


Henry A. Virkler - 2007
    Hermeneutics gives the reader not only an understanding of the principles of proper biblical interpretation but also the ability to apply those principles in sermon preparation, personal Bible study, or writing. This popular book outlines a five-step hermeneutical procedure that includes: (1) historical-cultural and contextual analysis, (2) lexical-syntactical analysis, (3) theological analysis, (4) genre identification and analysis, and (5) application. The second edition includes updated material covering developments in hermeneutics over the past twenty years. An Instructor's Resource CD containing teaching suggestions, Powerpoint slides, suggested answers to exercises, and supplementary handouts is available to Bible college and seminary professors.

It's Still Greek to Me: An Easy-To-Understand Guide to Intermediate Greek


David Alan Black - 1998
    This easy-to-understand and humorous guide is for students in their second year of Greek study.

Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages


Haddon W. Robinson - 1980
    This updated edition will benefit a new generation of preachers. Praised by Newsweek magazine and his peers as one of America's most significant preachers, Robinson guides you step-by-step through the fundamentals of preparing and preaching an expository sermon.

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship


Gerald F. Hawthorne - 1993
    Following the format of its hightly successful companion volume, the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, this Dictionary is designed to bring students, teachers, ministers and laypeople abreast of the established conclusions and significant recent developments in Pauline scholarship. No other single reference work presents as much information focused exclusively on Pauline theology, literature, background and scholarship. In a field that recently has undergone significant shifts in perspective, theDictionary of Paul and His Letters offers a summa of Paul and Pauline studies. In-depth articles focus on individual theological themes (such as law, resurrection and Son of God), broad theological topics (such as Christology, eschatology and the death of Christ), methods of interpretation (such as rhetorical criticism and social-scientific approaches), background topics (such as apocalypticism, Hellenism and Qumran) and various other subjects specifically related to the scholarly study of Pauline theology and literature (such as early catholicism, the center of Paul's theology, and Paul and his interpreters since F. C. Baur). Separate articles are also devoted to each of the Pauline letters to hermeneutics and to preaching Paul today. TheDictionary of Paul and His Letters takes its place alongside the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels in presenting the fruit of evangelical New Testament scholarship at the end of the twentieth century--commited to the authority of Scripture, utilizing the best of critical methods, and maintaining dialogue with contemporary scholarship and challenges facing the church.

The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible


Paul D. Wegner - 1999
    This book explains how the Bible that we use came to be in its present form. Wegner introduces the Bible and its arrangement, describes how the various books were collected into a single canon, examines how the Bible was passed from one generation to the next, explores how and why early versions were produced, and discusses the myriad of English translations. Numerous charts, photos, and illustrations are included.

Methodical Bible Study


Robert A. Traina - 1985
    Dr. Traina’s Methodical Bible Study was not intended to be the last word in inductive Bible study; but since its first publication in 1952, it has become a foundational text in this field. Christian colleges and seminaries have made it required reading for beginning Bible students, while many churches have used it for their lay Bible study groups. Dr. Traina summarizes its success in this comment: "If the truths of the Bible already resided in man, there would be no need for the Bible and this manual would be superfluous. But the fact is the Bible is an objective body of literature which exists because man needs to know certain truths which he himself cannot know. There are two main approaches open to the Bible student. One is deduction, which begins with generalizations and moves for their support to the particulars. By its very nature deduction tends to be subjective and prejudicial. Its opposite, induction, is objective and impartial; for it demands that one first examine the particulars of the Scriptures and that one’s conclusions be based on those particulars. Such an approach is sound because, being objective, it corresponds to the objective nature of the Scriptures." This book fills the need for a simple, practical textbook in hermeneutics. It encourages the serious Bible student to practice the best kind of hermeneutic, which allows the Word of God to speak for itself.

The Epistle to the Romans


Karl Barth - 1918
    Barth--who remains a powerful influence on European and American theology--argues that the modern Christian preacher and theologian face thesame basic problems that confronted Paul. Assessing the whole Protestant argument in relation to modern attitudes and problems, he focuses on topics such as Biblical exegesis; the interrelationship between theology, the Church, and religious experience; the relevance of the truth of the Bible toculture; and what preachers should preach.

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth


Richard J. Foster - 1978
    Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found.Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration bring us nearer to one another and to God.Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how these Disciplines can become part of our daily activities—and how they can help us shed our superficial habits and "bring the abundance of God into our lives." He offers crucial new insights on simplicity, demonstrating how the biblical view of simplicity, properly understood and applied, brings joy and balance to our inward and outward lives and "sets us free to enjoy the provision of God as a gift that can be shared with others." The discussion of celebration, often the most neglected of the Disciplines, shows its critical importance, for it stands at the heart of the way to Christ. Celebration of Discipline will help Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.

Interpreting the Psalms: An Exegetical Handbook


Mark David Futato - 2007
    Chisholm Jr. in "Interpreting the Historical Books." A valuable resource for pastors and students, "Interpreting the Psalms" begins by explaining the nature of Hebrew poetry and the purpose of the Psalms. An accomplished scholar of the Psalms, Mark Futato next explores issues related to properly interpreting Israel's songbook, and concludes with a sample of moving from interpretation to proclamation. A glossary is included.

The Christ of the Covenants


O. Palmer Robertson - 1980
    Palmer Robertson presents the richness of a covenantal approach to understanding the Bible. He treats the Old Testament covenants from a successive standpoint--that each covenant builds on the previous one.

The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate


John H. Walton - 2010
    But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a "literal" understanding of Genesis 2–3 looks painfully like a "tear here" strip between faith and science. How can Christians of good faith move forward? Who were the historical Adam and Eve? What if we’ve been reading Genesis and its claims regarding material origins wrong? In what cultural context was this couple, this garden, this tree, this serpent portrayed? Following his groundbreaking The Lost World of Genesis One, John Walton explores the ancient Near Eastern context of Genesis 2–3, creating space for a faithful reading of Scripture along with full engagement with science for a new way forward in the human origins debate. As a bonus, an illuminating excursus by NT Wright places Adam in the implied narrative of Paul’s theology. The Lost World of Adam and Eve will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand this foundational text historically and theologically, and wondering how to view it alongside contemporary understandings of human origins.

Theology of the Book of Revelation


Richard Bauckham - 1993
    Close attention is paid both to the literary form in which the theology is expressed and to the original context to which the book was addressed. Contrary to many misunderstandings of Revelation, it is shown to be one of the masterpieces of early Christian literature, with much to say to the Church today. This study offers a unique account of the theology and message of Revelation.

Old Testament Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate


Gerhard F. Hasel - 1977
    In this revision Hasel has incorporated significant scholarship since 1982; his bibliography of Old Testament theology, with nearly 950 entries, is the most comprehensive published to date.

The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture


Christian Smith - 2011
    Acclaimed sociologist Christian Smith argues that this approach is misguided and unable to live up to its own claims. If evangelical biblicism worked as its proponents say it should, there would not be the vast variety of interpretive differences that biblicists themselves reach when they actually read and interpret the Bible. Smith describes the assumptions, beliefs, and practices of evangelical biblicism and sets it in historical, sociological, and philosophical context. He explains why it is an impossible approach to the Bible as an authority and provides constructive alternative approaches to help evangelicals be more honest and faithful in reading the Bible. Far from challenging the inspiration and authority of Scripture, Smith critiques a particular rendering of it, encouraging evangelicals to seek a more responsible, coherent, and defensible approach to biblical authority.

On Christian Doctrine


Augustine of Hippo
    On Christian Doctrine is an introduction to the interpretation & explanation of the Bible which exerted an enormous influence throughout the Middle Ages.