Customer Reviews

Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers

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This book lives up to its subtitle--it is indeed a very basic guide to biblical exegesis. It is easy to read, and explains everything at a level that anyone, even if they have never done exegesis, will be able to understand. It gives a basic explanation of how to consider historical context, literary context, etc. and how to do a more detailed analysis of a text. Gorman also emphasizes the importance of taking our own context as exegetes into account; realizing that we bring our own lives and cultures into our readings, as much as we try not to. And I appreciated that he brought up that a main point of exegesis (which is often neglected) is for us to ask the question, "If we were to take this passage seriously, how then would we live?"

I think this is a good, quick read that will be good for people who want to start doing some responsible Biblical exegesis. However, if you are a graduate student (or anyone for that matter) and already have a basic handle on how to do exegesis and want to do more in-depth study, this is probably not the book you are looking for.

Michael Gorman offers a good, basic step by step approach to exegesis that will help those who do not know Greek or Hebrew and even those who do. He starts by explaining the different approaches (synchronic, diachronic, and existential). He uses an eclectic approach in this book and recommends the reader do the same. He favors working from the final text form and not giving undue attention to liberal methods of form criticism. There is an excellent chapter on picking out a good modern day translation and the pro's and con's of each of the translations. At the end of each chapter he provides three very helpful sections: First, is the chapter summary, in which he briefly recaps the main points. Second, here he gives a couple of tips that make exegesis easier. Third, is the "For Further Insight and Practice" section, in which the author gives assignments that really reinforce the teaching as you go. Exegesis is something you learn by doing and Gorman helps this to happen with this excellent teaching tool. The chapters are short and set up in a step by step or as Gorman has labeled each step as an element. For example, chapter 3 is labeled "Survey: The first element". After the step by steps of exegesis, the author has provided an entire chapter, that is longer than all the rest on "Resources for Exegesis". This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. All of the bibliographies are annotated. If you are a student or a minister and are looking for a great basic guide to get you started in exegesis, then you need to order this book. You will be glad that you did.

Extremely well written, and very insightful. The book gives many practical guidelines for biblical analysis, and suggests many tools to help in the process. There is also an excellent critique on the different translations of the bible. Overall, I'd say the book is a bargain, and invaluable to anyone who reads the bible!

I am an adjunct professor in Tulane's School of Continuing Studies (Religious Studies.)I teach courses in the Gospels, Paul and his theology and Jesus. I stumbled across this book while surfing on Amazon, not looking just surfing. Gorman's book is a wondrous resource and I have put it to use in all three courses. An excellent guide for my students in putting together and critiquing their papers I think it ought to be mandatory in homeletics.

Michael Gorman has written a detailed systematic method for producing appropriately structured and accurate exegetical works. I wish that I had known about this book before finishing much of my Masters degree. This book was a text book for a course, but I think anybody wanting to write scholarly works dealing with the Bible should purchase Elements of Biblical Exegesis. Gorman's style is clear, easily understood, and he even adds suggested resources for writing. Buy this book!

Gorman's book is an excellent tool for teaching the basics of exegesis to college students with little to no background in critical biblical studies. I highly recommend it for those who need a brief introduction to the topic. Those who are already trained in exegesis probably won't find much help here.

Michael Gorman does a great job of addressing the basic steps one should take when doing exegesis of a passage of Scripture. He provides good background material, and exercises to put into practice the reading from each chapter. It's very practical and informative. There are some sections where more examples would have made the concepts easier to understand. It helps if the reader has some exegetical background already and wants to develop a system for good exegesis.

I use this book every semester for teaching introductory seminary courses in New Testament. I find that it is a very effective resource for teaching the skills of exegesis. Students have offered very positive feedback.

good read with scholarly input that is readily drawn out for everyday use. you do not have to be a theologian to appreciate the levels of language and cultural diversity in Biblical texts.

This is a very good tool when learning about exegesis and the study of the bible as a student