Customer Reviews

The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

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This book is aptly subtitled, for comprehensive it is! Osborne goes the length in this book from explaining how to study the Biblical text in its original language to advice on delivery of sermons.

A basic thesis he mentions a number of times throughout the book is that the goal of hermeneutics is not the commentary but the sermon. This textbook is very detailed and yet practical: almost everything he writes is aimed at how to write a relevant sermon for a congregation today.

Part one deals with General Hermeneutics. Here he addresses matters of context, grammar, semantics, syntax, and historical and cultural backgrounds.

In part two Osborne discusses extensively the different genre of the Bible which he divides as narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, apocalyptic, parable, and epistle. A preacher will do well to consult the different chapters when preaching on a text of a particular genre.

In Part 3, the author deals with Applied Hermeneutics. He writes about the place of Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology in the interpretation of Scripture. The second to last chapter is about contextualization-showing a congregation today how the text is relevant for them. The book comes together in the last chapter, "The Sermon," in which Osborne gives both theoretical and practical instruction in preparing the sermon and preaching.

Osborne promotes what is often called the textual-thematic (also known as textual- reconstructive or expository) sermon. He does not, however, totally reject the topical sermon.

This is a very good book. It would serve well as a textbook for a seminary course on hermeneutics. Considering its size (500 pages of dense type), a minister in a busy pastorate might be a bit intimidated to take it on. But then, that's what sabbaticals are for!

The size of the book may seem daunting to many (500+ pages), but the knowledge contained within will be worth your time if you are considering to properly study the Bible. This book pretty much covers the wide range of subjects necessary to properly interpret the biblical texts. It doesn't address each of these subjects in extensive details, but it does provide a solid foundation for further investigation. Most of the material contained within the book can be very dry - like any other textbook or instruction manual, but it is invaluable for properly studying the Bible. I would recommend reading the book straight through the first time, and then put it on your shelf as a handy reference tool.

Other reviewers have described the content of the book better than I but I'd like to add some personal thoughts. First off, I am merely a Christian layman who is always looking to improve my Biblical study methods and with that in mind, this book does a very good job helping me. Hermeneutics sounds intimidating but it is just the theory and methodology of interpetation. In this case, interpretation of Biblical text. This book came highly recommended to me by several Christian scholars and I now realize why it comes so highly recommended. It not only is good as an introduction to Biblical hermeneutics for the layman like me, it is also good for the seminary student as well (in fact this book is used at many Christian seminaries). Don't be intimidated by the title. It is a wonderfully helpful textbook written in an easy-to-understand style and in a manner designed to teach.

If you are one who wishes to improve one's Bible studies, this is definitely a book to read as an aid.

Grant Osborne is an excellent writer and scholar. His desire that the book help people study the biblical text correctly comes through well. Readers can use this textbook regardless of depth of biblical languages. Osborne provides information on the kinds of criticisms under which many study and how those should be incorporated appropriately.

The Hermeneutical Spiral strives to present a comprehensive look at the individual aspects of Bible interpretation and carries the reader from initial reading of Scriptural passages, thru specific hermeneutical considerations, and ends in methods of exegesis and application of homiletics. Much appreciated is the meta-analysis style that Osborne uses to present a well rounded view of the process and the obvious high regard he has for the authority of the Scriptures. I often wonder at what level of education this book was originally intended since I have had to bookmark a dictionary on my smart phone, but the process of discovery has been highly enjoyable.

The kindle version of this book has page numbers, unlike most kindle books, which only have location numbers. That's a big problem if you ever want to cite the text. So, page numbers are a plus, but here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

If you read this book on your PC, page numbers appear at the bottom of the screen. That number may not be the page number of the quotation you want to cite. In order to find the correct page number, you have to highlight the quotation and then check the notation made by the kindle program.

If you're reading it on your kindle, if you press "menu", the page number will appear on the bottom of the screen. Same as above. You have to highlight the passage and check it in kindle notes in order to get the correct page number.

This method seems to be working for this book, but I'd get a hard copy and double check before ever citing it in any important research.

Please, before purchasing your books on kindle, be aware that most kindle books have no references to page numbers at all. I purchased all my books for school in kindle format this semester and am seriously considering buying hard copies. Professors want to be able to easily find your citations and they can't find a kindle location unless they have a kindle and that particular book. Please find out what your school thinks about this issue before making the same mistake I did.

This book is a helpful tool in studying the background information and literature held within the pages of the Bible. It is technical, but not overly scholarly. It is important to study books like this, because it would help minimize the mistakes people make when interpreting the Bible.

I am enrolled at Moody Graduate Seminary in introductory Hermeneutics (Principals of Biblical Research and Interpretation). This book was listed as "recommended" not mandatory. When I realized that the study guide for the course and the main text book (Duvall & Hays: Grasping God's Word)regularly cited this text, I realized that this book was essential reading for the serious hermeneutics student.

Not as an introduction. I can't leave without suggesting some other tools: (1) Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation by Henry Virkler and Karelynne Ayayo; (2) How To Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren; (3) New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors by Gordon Fee; and (4) Old Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors by Douglas Stuart. Although book #3 and 4 deals with Biblical languages (Greek and Hebrew), you can learn a lot from them even if you do not know the languages. (5) "Basics of Biblical Greek" Grammar by William D. Mounce [plus "Biblical Greek Survival Kit" and "Sing and Learn New Testament Greek" audio CD by Kenneth Berding]; (6) "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy (Third Edition with Cd-Rom).

This is the book for pastor, layman, student, college student or any Christian want to know the biblical truth, the often words "bible speak". I have many "how to" books on intepretation but overall to me this is most practical how-to that when I put it in practice; simply "It work". When I go to theology SWC school, so often my professor use it's methods for our assignments; eventhough he not use that book, the reason it: "too many pages for a semester". I highly recommended for anyone love God and His Living Word - Word of Life...I John 1