Hard Sayings of the Bible (Hard Sayings Series the Hard Sayings) [Hardcover]

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Author), Peter H. Davids (Author), F. F. Bruce (Author), Manfred Brauch (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 083081423X | ISBN-13: 978-0830814237 | Publication Date: November 6, 1996

Replaces Hard Sayings of the Old Testament, which received a 1990 Christianity Today Critics' Choice Award! Are you grappling with a difficult verse in the Bible? And are you looking for a short, easy-to-read answer that really makes sense without explaining away the verse? Hard Sayings of the Bible is the handy reference book you need. Here you will find explanations of over 500 of the most troubling verses to test the minds and hearts of Bible readers. Four seasoned scholars, all with a notable gift for communicating with people in the pew, take you behind the scenes to find succinct solutions to a wide variety of Bible difficulties, ranging from discrepancies about numbers to questions about God's justice. Historical, cultural and linguistic backgrounds shed light on these passages and not only help explain what they meant in biblical times but also show how they are relevant today. Now carefully cross-referenced with over 100 new verses explained, as well as a dozen new introductory articles on chronology, miracles, archaeology, prophecy and more, Hard Sayings of the Bible offers the combined resources of five previous volumes that have over 250,000 copies in print. If you find yourself tied up in scriptural knots, here's the book that will help you cut through them.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 811 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (November 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083081423X
• ISBN-13: 978-0830814237
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (PhD, Brandeis University) is distinguished professor emeritus of Old Testament and president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Dr. Kaiser has written over 40 books, including Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching; The Messiah in the Old Testament; and The Promise-Plan of God; and coauthored An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning. Dr. Kaiser and his wife, Marge, currently reside at Kerith Farm in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. Dr. Kaiser's website is www.walterckaiserjr.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great tool to have on hand, July 28, 2000

By 

E. Johnson (El Cajon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Sayings of the Bible (Hard Sayings Series the Hard Sayings) (Hardcover)

I don't think there is any mystery to the fact that some biblical passages are tougher to interpret than others. This is why I so appreciate this book. In fact, I had bought the individual IVP books that were later compiled into Hard Sayings of the Bible, and I spent the money for this because it's nice having it all in one bound volume. I have used this many times to see if a particular passage is talked about, and probably half of the time it's in there. (I consider this to be a pretty high percentage.) While I may not always agree with the assessment, it is nice to get other perspectives, and more than once they have convinced me of their position on very difficult passages.

So, for the person who honestly struggles with interpreting the scripture for himself, I would say this is a good book to have as a reference tool. The authors are certainly scholars who are worth, at the very least, a consideration.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly The Best, August 6, 2002

By 

Rob Nowogorski (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Sayings of the Bible (Hard Sayings Series the Hard Sayings) (Hardcover)

I find three books that tackle Bible difficulties stand out above all others. Gleason Archer's "Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties", Norman Geisler's and Ron Brooks' "When Skeptics Ask...", and this one. Out of those three this is probably my favorite. This one seems to go into deeper historical setting information. And as one who questions constantly, I am finding better answers here. That is not to say that the three books disagree, for they do agree with each other. This one seems to always anticipate the extra question someone would ask. And now to alienate at least 50% of you... The one disagreement between the books is that this one has an egalitarian stance while the other two hold the traditional view regarding the role of women in the church. Holding one view or the other on this topic will neither send someone to heaven nor hell, yet often emotion takes over this debate. As a former traditionalist I was surprised at how the biblical (as opposed to liberal) view of egalitarianism seemed to answer my questions in harmonizing scripture on this topic far better than the traditional view. Even though I am egalitarian, I am one by the smallest of margins which in my view is not enough to make wholesale changes to the role of women in being pastors. If you are a traditionalist do not discount this book solely based on it's egalitarian stance. As I've said earlier it does agree with the excellent traditionalist books I've mentioned, it just seems to go a little further in explaining the same answer as the other two books give. The only disagreement between these books is regarding the role of women.

Update:
Wow here I am a couple of years later and I'm even more impressed, as this book continues to tackle the harder issues that the other ones just touch on or avoid altogether Like Mark 1:2 which attributes a passage in Malachi 3:1 to Isaiah. I'm not going to try to give their answer here, so buy the book.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide for Hard to Address Issues in the Bible!, July 5, 2004

By 

Michael Taylor "Michael Taylor" (Indian Trail NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Sayings of the Bible (Hard Sayings Series the Hard Sayings) (Hardcover)

In my humble opinion, the authors have produced an excellent guide for anyone who has honest intellectual questions about seeming contracdictions or hard-to-address issues in the Bible.

Before addressing the issues, the authors first establish the Bible as God's Word, how arcaheology supports the Bible, accuracy of Old Testament prophecies, and other biblically-based questions. Afterwards, the authors then address specific issues and seemingly contradictory statements in the Bible.

I particulary appreciated the book's format - the questions and issues are arranged in order according to the Bible's organization - starting with Genesis and ending with Revelation.
While some books are addressed in more detail than others, much information is included for the reader.

While you may not agree with all of authors' conclusions, you will certainly be challenged to think about particular issues in the Bible.

Read and enjoy! Highly recommended!