Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament [Paperback]

Sandy D. Brent (Editor), Ronald L. Giese (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 1995

A guide to the various kinds of literature in the Old Testament-narrative, history, law, oracles, and more-and how to interpret them. Contributors include Eugene Merrill, Walt Kaiser, and Tremper Longman, III.

Product Details

• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: B&H Academic (June 6, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805410937
• ISBN-13: 978-0805410938
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Tool for Biblical Interpretation, July 18, 2000

By 

Lorna L. Wilson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament (Paperback)

This is one of the best written guides for understanding the different literary genres of the Bible. The language used is simple to follow and the explanations and examples presented in the book are clear. Sandy and Giese have managed to take a somewhat complex task and guide the reader into a better understanding of the process of biblical interpretation from a form critical perspective. They compare the process of finding "genres" in a biblical text with making distinctions between "news reports, editorial commentary, or comic strips in a newspaper." Sandy and Giese' book addresses information which is essential for serious readers who want a better understanding of the Bible. The authors discuss the importance of identifying the literary genre to help gain a better understanding of the function and meaning of the biblical text under study. A total of ten different genres are presented with brief summary descriptions and a dedicated chapter for each type. Also, a description of the content and structure of the genre is provided along with step by step instructions on how to interpret the genre within a sample text. A recommended list of readings for further study of genre interpretation is included in the back of each chapter. Other features include a glossary of form critical terms and a scripture index. Although this book addresses the genres found in the Old Testament I have also found it useful in New Testament studies as well. I would strongly recommend this book to any pastor, seminarian, or serious bible student as an exegetical tool for biblical interpretation.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaches us what we should know, July 13, 2006

By 

Greg (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament (Paperback)

Cracking Old Testament Codes is a very helpful book to understand the different genres of writing that are used in the Old Testament. The premise of the book is that we, as modern English readers fail to understand the use of literary devices and categories in the text of the Old Testament.

The book on the whole does a good job of pointing out general principles about each genre, such as the nature of a proverb as compared to narrative. There are boatloads of false teachings that would be eradicated if their proponents would simply understand what is in this book.

I wouldn't say the book is a must-read, but it's pretty close, not because of its quality (although it is indeed good), but because of the nature of the book. It teaches us what we should already know.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, March 11, 2006

By 

Josh Moffit (Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament (Paperback)

This book was required reading for an Old Testament course I took at Liberty University. My professor (Ronald Giese) happens to be one of the authors. I appreciated reading the book, and it gave me some good insight into bible interpretation. The main premise of the book is that it is important for readers of the Bible to make 'genre distinction,' also called literary interpretation. In the first chapter Giese writes, "Ignorance of (literary) context leads to some of the worst mistakes of interpretation. On the other hand, familiarity with this context provides a window through which we can greatly increase our understanding of what the biblical authors were trying to say." I believe that this correctly shows the importance the Bible reader puts into udnerstanding the different genres of the Bible.

Chapters one through three introduce the topic and show its importance. The following ten chapters each define and describe ten different types of genres. The last chapter is a practical guide for Bible teachers. In particular, I appreciated the insights the book gave on Job. Interpreting and understanding Job is much easier if study is given literary importance- Job is not really of the narrative genre but more of the wisdom genre. Overall, I found the first three chapters the most helpful. Some of the different genres are very, very similar, thus difficult to distinguish and apply. That is my main complaint about the book. There probably only needed to be between 4 and 6 different types of genres, maybe with the others coming as sub-genres. I also don't like the title of this book, in trying to make a catchy title, I believe they created a title that scares people and misrepresents the book. There are no codes to crack- just use your brain in distinguishing the different kinds of literature that the Bible employs.