Introduction to Biblical Interpretation [Hardcover]

Dr. William W. Klein (Author), Dr. Craig L. Blomberg (Author), Dr. Robert L. Hubbard Jr. (Author), Kermit Allen Ecklebarger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0849907748 | ISBN-13: 978-0849907746 | Publication Date: June 2, 1993

Although accurate Bible interpretation is a challenging task, the authors of this book have combined years of expertise and devotion to Scripture to provide a truly unique volume that sets forth concise, logical, practical guidelines for discovering the truth in God's Word.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 518 pages
• Publisher: Word Publishing (June 2, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849907748
• ISBN-13: 978-0849907746
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very good for what it attempts to do, but..., September 20, 2004

By 

R. Briggs "Richard Briggs" (Durham, England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Revised Edition (Hardcover)

This revised and expanded version of a trusted evangelical favourite is, despite what some reviews here suggest, very good at what it does. And what it does is not really what these other reviewers want to call hermeneutics. Fair enough. I actually agree that this is not really a book about hermeneutics, and credit to the authors for keeping that word out of the book title. This is 'steps to biblical interpretation' aimed at people whose default setting is to open the Bible at random and seek 'a word from the Lord'. Compared to that, this book will do much good, and I think it deserves a welcome.
On the other hand, the reviewers who point out the lack of a clear presentation of hermeneutical thinking (esp philosophical hermeneutics) are right, and while I too agree that James Smith's 'Fall of Interpretation' is a great book I simply think that it is trying to do something completely different from this one (and it requires wrestling with Heideggerian ontotheology into the bargain, from which Klein et al mercifully spare us.)
So if you want a sophisticated hermeneutical treatment of the legitimacy and limits of an evangelical approach to scripture then you will not find it here, and I recommend going elsewhere (indeed to Kevin Vanhoozer's 'First Theology'). But if you already know that you want to interpret the Bible within a certain framework (viz the evangelical one) then this is a wonderful compendium of practically-orientated good advice, with an excellent reading list.
So, three stars for what it is good at. Two stars short because the framework and worldview questions really do require something this book does not have.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revised edition improves this standard, October 5, 2004

By 

B. Klein (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Revised Edition (Hardcover)

Potential readers will want to assure they look at this thoroughly revised and updated version of the book that originally appeared in 1993. This 2004 second edition responds to some of issues in reviews of the first edition and updates all the discussions, footnotes, and bibliographies. At the same time, it remains thoroughly evangelical in its approach and presuppositions--and does not seek to hide that fact. And while it acknowledges the more philosophical turn that "hermeneutics" has taken (the countours of which follow Schleiermarcher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, and Ricoeur), it focuses attention rather on the needs of the "practitioner" who desires a reliable guide to the actual practice of interpretation from a conservative point of view--not a philosophy of understanding. To fault it for not doing more is to ask for a book longer than the already formidable 563 pages.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advanced Graduate Level Work on Hermeneutics, January 17, 2009

By 

A. Hebert "digit@l embryo" (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Revised Edition (Hardcover)

Klein, et al's Introduction to Bibilical Interpretation is a wonderful book that does exactly what it was designed to do - provide the best possible education experience on Biblical interpretation and hermeneutics for advanced Bible students. And when I say advanced, I am referring to students who are in seminary and studying for a Master's degree in Theological Studies, Biblical Studies, or Apologetics.

This is how I was introduced to this text. It was one of my main textbooks in a high level (700 level) graduate course at a big evangelical seminary. The book is awesome, but sometimes is it just hard to read because there is just so much information the human mind can handle and comprehend at one time. In other words, this book is written at an advanced level. Just to give you an idea of the level of scholarship that supports this text, in the second chapter about the History of Interpretation, there were 160 footnoted references pointing to external sources, more information, or information that just had to be followed up on by the reader in order to get a full understanding of what was being introduced in the book.

Don't misunderstand me, this book is the best, but it assumes it's audience is an audience composed of advanced bible readers, and advanced students of the Scriptures. That's is not to say anybody can't buy this book and read and understand it. But unless you are used to reading scholarly journals, you are not going to be reading this book like a novel and be done with it in a weekend. If you do get it, you will definitely have in your hands one of the best books on Biblical Interpretation and Hermeneutics that has ever been published.