Customer Reviews

Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible, A: Playing by the Rules

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dr. Stein's book was a pleasure to read, full of great information, and very well written. I particularly enjoyed the frequent illustrations he used to explain many of the concepts he presented. The only reason I did not give 5 stars to this book is to agree with a previous reviewer that some of the concepts and language Dr. Stein uses require the reader to have a prior understanding of hermeneutics. Having this grounding before reading the book helped me to understand his presentation the first time through, but as I read I was aware that someone without such a background may have experiencd some problems. My suggestion: If you are a seminary student or pastor - read it, I believe that you will enjoy it! If you are an interested lay person who may not have had any experience in the area of Hermeneutics, read it but have someone (Pastor, teacher, friend, etc...) that has dealt with some of the technical language handy to ask questions. This book is a great source of information and anyone interested in studying the Bible would do well to add it to their reading list.

If you're interested in learning the basics of proper Biblical hermeneutics, this is a book for you. Stein does a good job presenting the material in an easy-to-read fashion, yet writes in a very scholarly manner. The book is divided into two sections: The first section deals with the general rules of interpretation (the first four chapters); the second section deals with how to interpret proverbs, prophecies, poetry, idioms, hyperboles, parables, narratives, epistles, covenants, laws, and songs (chapters 5-13). The book is generally geared towards the average lay person or beginner seminary student. It can be used as a technical hermeneutical aid or as a tool to assist the average believer in how to read the Bible properly during Bible studies and quiet times. Stein's book is a valuable resource that should be available in every Christian bookshelf.

Being a student of Dr. Stein, I was amazed at how easy it was to read. There are many hermenutics texts available, but most are written on a higher leven than many are used to. This book was actually written so the lay person could understand it without any problems. This is an excellent text for beginning to learn how to faithfully interpret God's Word.

Dr. Stein's text is as good a book as he is a professor. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sound methods to Biblical interpretation. It is easy to read and very easy to understand. A very good book for lay people in the church who are looking for help in interpreting Biblical passages. Very good!!!

This is a good introduction to Biblical interpretation for the layman. If you're more serious about biblical interpretation at a higher level I'd suggest first having a firm grasp of the basics presented here. My only gripe would be that it seems geared towards a younger audience. Still deserves 5 stars though.

This is an excellent little textbook on how to read and study the Bible from a structural point of view. Incidentally it also teaches useful material on English grammar, on reading comprehension, and on literature analysis. It is marred only by its annoying "games" theme which trivializes it and its transparently apologist interpretation of some key passages used as illustrations.

This book will give you a sound foundation for biblical interpretation. It's a gold mine of information. If you can't take a formal class on the subject (and even if you can) this is the book for you.

I am very surprised to find that some people thought this book was difficult to work through. I found Stein very clear and informative. He even defines all the terms he uses frequently so as to remove all ambiguity. Not that these terms are difficult to grasp (ie. implication, significance, subject matter). Anyone who feels comfortable reading something weightier than airport paperbacks should benefit from this work.

This book was recommended to my by faculty at a seminary. I have no theological training what so ever and desired to delve deeper into the Bible. This book was not written to explain any Biblical ideas, but rather to give the user an idea of Hermeneutics, or how we interpret the Bible. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go into more detail than a quick reading. It is great for beginners and all the terms that are used are introduced are defined in the book. There are questions at the end of each chapter which will also help you learn the material. I have bought this book for many people and will continue to do so.

The book is for a current class. It came brand new and serves it's purpose. Thanks for getting it to me in a timely manner.