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Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching

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Walter C. Kaiser Jr. serves as president and Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Told Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is the author of numerous books and publications, as well as one who serves on the board of many Christian organizations. Kaiser's purpose for this book is to bridge the gap between the hermeneutics and homiletics departments of our Bible colleges and seminaries.

It is hoped, then, that this volume will be useful to those who are already in the pastorate and who are struggling week after week to resolve just this problem. But the main object of our work must be the scores of those men and women who are currently enrolled in Biblical and theological studies at the collegiate or seminary level (22).

Kaiser desires this work to be a "type of firstfruits to the Church at large ... [to] either rectify the situation with a good theory of exegesis" (22) in bridging the gap between hermeneutics and homiletics, "or to drop all professional pretensions from our Biblical and theological departments and offer only research-oriented degrees leading to teaching and writing posts in academia" (23).

Summary

Kaiser divides Toward an Exegetical Theology into four parts. Part I presents Kaiser's introduction to this work. This chapter deals with the decline in the area of hermeneutics to discover the authorial intent of the text from the Puritan age until the present. Kaiser notes the "crisis of the pulpit" (36). Far too many pastors ignore the Old Testament, deem the Old Testament irrelevant, or only relate it through the eyes of the New Testament. Chapter Two deals with the definition and history of exegesis. Kaiser states, "The sole object of the expositor is to explain as clearly as possible what the writer meant when he wrote the text under examination" (45). This statement for Kaiser defines exegesis, and then methodically takes the reader through the various eras and stages of exegesis through church history.

Part II, entitled "The Syntactical-Theological Method," contains six chapters dealing with various types of analyses which connect syntactical issues with biblical theology. Chapter Three addresses contextual analysis. "Good exegetical procedure dictates that the details be viewed in light of the total context" (69). Chapter Four deals with syntactical analysis and the various literary structures in Scripture such as prose, poetry, narrative, wisdom, and apocalyptic literature. "Each of these literary forms has a distinctive shape and style; accordingly, the approach to each form must be modified to meet its particular needs" (91). Within these forms, he notes that "the unit of concern must be the paragraph" (95) for paragraphs help the reader understand the flow and the theme of the ideas presented. Chapter Five addresses verbal analyses. Kaiser states, "Words and idioms are the most basic of all the linguistic building-blocks of meaning" (105). He notes the importance of noting the surrounding words in understanding that word's meaning. Chapter Six addresses theological analyses, which Kaiser calls "the missing ingredient in most sermon preparation" (131). He notes "exegesis is never an end in itself [but] must come to terms with the audience as well as with what the author meant by the words he used" (149). Chapter Seven then deals with this stage of preparation in dealing with homiletical analysis --- an area which in Kaiser believes theological education has failed. In this chapter, he presents to the reader "'Preparations for Homiletical Usage' [where] the basic thrust of the chapter will be ... principlization,' the final task in the exegetical process" (150).

Part III outlines special issues in expository preaching such as the use of prophecy, narrative, and poetry respectively in chapters nine, ten, and eleven. Kaiser notes in chapter nine that while preacher should preach prophetically, he must take care not to preach solely against institutional and cultural structures. Old Testament prophets made their primary appeal "to the individuals who made up those communities and institutions" (187). In chapter ten, Kaiser notes, "What is needed in preaching on ... narrative portions is some method of pointing out the abiding meanings and continuing significance for all believers" (197). Chapter eleven outlines how to preach Old Testament poetry expositionally, directing the preacher to know how "parallelism ... is the dominant stylistic feature" (212).

The conclusion of this work is found in Part IV. Chapter 12, entitled "The Exegete/Pastor and the Power of God," serves as the last chapter of this work and possesses a pastoral tone to the expositor in seeking the Holy Spirit for his power in the pulpit. "In all good conscience point to the presence of the Holy Spirit as the source of any confidence that we might have in our message even after we have acted most responsibly in the study and preparation of the text for proclamation" (235).

Critical Evaluation

As stated earlier, Kaiser's aim in this work is to help bridge the gap between the hermeneutics and homiletics departments of our Bible colleges and seminaries in the area of biblical exegesis - and he succeeds! In the preface, Kaiser believes that in order for one to be a proper exegete of the Scriptures, he could not "hope to begin unless and until he is able to translate the text from Greek to Hebrew" (9). He grants though that many pastors, teachers, and missionaries are not able to partake of these educational opportunities. Given these issues, Kaiser notes that "the method expounded in this book can be profitably employed even if one has access only to a translated version of the Scriptures" (10). Kaiser finds a tremendous balance in providing solid help for those in all levels of biblical scholarship.

Kaiser's work rightly advocates allowing the Scriptures to develop the framework for the preacher's and the listener's theology. First, he addresses in Chapter 1 the current crises in exegetical theology and notes the "yawning chasm between understanding the content of Scripture as it was given in the past and proclaiming it with such relevance in the present" (18). Kaiser notes, "We contend that the theology must be objectively derived from the text; not subjectively imposed on the text by the interpreter" (137). These impositions on the text also happen with narrative passages. He understands the temptations many preachers face and addresses them directly. "The exegete must resist the temptation to impose a mold over the text by forcing that text to answer one of his favorite questions or to deal with one of the contemporary issues that our cultures wants to have solved" (153).

His solution to this temptation involves determining the theme of each paragraph, looking for repeated terms which are stressed or defined, and looking to see what how these paragraphs fit into the overall book or section in which they are found. This theme runs continually through this work, reinforcing this all-to-important principle that the Christian's theology must arise from the text. He rightly believes that a procedure must be in place to help understand the core meaning of the text will the preacher derive his theological framework. The interpreter accomplishes this analysis through studying the terms, events, quotes and covenants found in the text, engaging in a "full involvement of Biblical theology as part of our exegesis" (137).

His chapter on "The Definition and History of Exegesis" contains some excellent material which lays the groundwork for not only the rest of the work but for a career's worth of work on the part of the exegete. He includes a wonderful paragraph that the preacher and exegete would do well to display in a prominent place for easy reference:

To begin with, let it be stated as a sort of first principle that preparation for preaching is always a movement which must begin with the text of Scripture and have as its goal the proclamation of that Word in such a way that it can be heard with all its poignancy and relevancy to the modern situation without dismissing one iota of its original normativeness (48).

He provides a helpful history of exegesis. Though this overview is not as comprehensive as Sidney Greidanus' overview in Preaching Christ from the Old Testament (Eerdmans, 1999), its inclusion in this chapter immediately the section on the definition of exegesis bolsters Kaiser's argument concerning the nature of good exegesis. For instance, Kaiser defines exegesis as seeking to "identify the single truth-intention of individual phrases, clauses, and sentences as they make up the thought of paragraphs, sections, and ultimately, entire books" (47). As he examines the five stages of Christian history, Kaiser wonderfully extracts the positives and negatives that arise from each stage of history and shows the lesson that deviating from authorial intent takes the interpreter down a problematic path --- all the while showing the worthwhile intent behind such a method. He presents both sides, yet does not give too much ground to the incorrect view. The preacher and exegete will benefit from such a balanced presentation.

Another strength with Kaiser's work is his use of humor and metaphors periodically in his explanations. This book contains technical information about the study of exegesis, so by Kaiser using humor and word pictures, he allows the reader slightly unwind as he absorbs the content. For instance, in chapter five in his discussion on verbal analysis, he discusses the importance of the surrounding words in determining the specific meaning of a word. With levity, he notes, that "words, like people, are known by the company they keep" (106). Another example is found in Chapter 6 when he uses a stirring metaphor in describing the trained clergy's failure to connect biblical texts to today's situations and their "Achilles' heel" (131). The inclusion of these word pictures among the norm of dry, academic language that so pervades these types of works.

With the strengths found in this volume come the weaknesses. The most glaring weakness is the placement of the contents of chapter twelve. The topic of this chapter addresses the exegete/pastor and the power of God. In a quote above, Kaiser noted that for the pastor, the Holy Spirit is the source of confidence in our message regardless of the number of steps taken in preparation. Considering the importance of the presence of the Holy Spirit, Kaiser should have placed this chapter toward the beginning of this book rather than at the very last chapter. Jesus did not say, "Proper sermon preparation and exegetical work will teach you all things." Rather, Jesus says in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26, ESV). Kaiser fully agrees with this verse. Given this sentiment, the placement of such an important understanding at the very end of this work is puzzling.

While Kaiser notes the importance of biblical truths guiding one's theology, he strays from this philosophy not once but twice in reference to the same passage: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. In making the point that the exegete should pay "close attention to each subtle nuance that may aid us in detecting sectional divisions" (77), he proceeds to engage in extra-biblical speculation. He wonders aloud, "Could it not be that the debated passage of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is a quote from Rabbinic law?" with no rationale on how he arrived at this point. He then proceeds to connect this passage with other passages from 1 Timothy 2:8-11 as well as 1 Corinthians 11:4-5. He also addresses these same verses on pp. 119-120, apparently to show how to apply the principles of verbal analysis. Kaiser violates his own principles for confuses Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5 with men and women who pray during their own private worship with principles Paul lays out for public worship in 1 Corinthians 14:26-35.

Conclusion

I would highly recommend Kaiser's work as a good starting point in understanding how to construct a sermon that bridges the ancient text of Scripture to contemporary times. He correctly diagnoses the issues facing the contemporary preacher and then proceeds to help the preacher in a methodical fashion overcome the obstacles facing him in dealing with Old and New Testament exegetical problems. The pastor and seminarian will benefit greatly from the groundbreaking contribution.

Many wags have said that Kaiser is always moving "toward" something, but he has never "arrived" at it yet. But his works represent good, if preliminary, studies of any subject he writes on.

Kaiser in an OT scholar, so it is not surprising his best work is found in that field. But his introduction to methodolgy is sound, if not perfect. Thorough, if not exhaustive. And it is one that ought to be examined by anyone who desires to be a serious student of the word.

There are a couple of times one would wish he had followed his own methods more carefully, one is in a foray into the NT, where he proposes a unique inerpretation of 1 Cor 14:34 that has since made D.A. Carson's "Exegetical Fallacies." But other than this rather grandiose faux pas, the rest of the work is convincing.

In this work, Dr. Kaiser takes us deep into the text, and lays out a very nice and practical framework for interpreting scripture. He does a decent job of hitting the middle ground with format-the book will likely retain the interest of a Hebrew and Greek scholar, yet at the same time is usable by the one who is not schooled in Biblical languages.

I rated the book a four rather than five for just a couple of areas where I think Kaiser may be a bit too stringent in his approach. He teaches an overly restrictive (in my view) principle of limiting interpretation to only that developed theology which the hearers could have been informed of at the time. I would argue that a solid hermeneutic can include pursuant informing theology to be transported in reverse chronology to a passage, if it is done carefully in line with the analogy of faith. It would seem that we short-change the passage in light of God's full counsel if we limit it to the theology resident in the original audience.

Kaiser also is strongly against any "double sense" of prophecy and while on one hand it is the conservative approach, it may be overly so in that it discounts rabbinical history and interpretation, and it tends to "flatten" scripture which is obviously multi-dimensional in fulfillment.

Secondly, at the risk of contradicting my compliment regarding the format of the book, Kaiser takes the micro-analysis of language to a slightly annoying level. I'm not sure which came first, but the (in my view) slight over-emphasis on language in this work seem to contradict his earlier work in _Introduction To Biblical Hermeneutics_ where Kaiser/Silva actually warn about an under emphasis or over-emphasis on Greek and Hebrew language. It would seem that an exegete strictly following the approach in this book could get so caught up in parsing and analyzing syntax as to miss the plain and literal meaning.

Yet, even with the slight nit-picks that cost the book a star in my view, this is still a solid work that will remain on my shelf. Even the negatives from my point of view are squarely on the side of conservative scholarship and the grammatical-historical school of interpretation. It's a good foundational work in hermeneutics.

It seems that this is the age of the ideological reduction; people seem to not want to think outside the extent of a collection of sound bites. Issues are no longer allowed to be complex or nuanced, and arguments are often settled once one simply looks things up on the authoritative repository of all knowledge in the universe: Wikipedia. When reading Towards an Exegetical Theology, I couldn't help but think what certain people would say if they ever came across the book. "One hundred pages of teaching on exegesis? Why does Kaiser write 40+ pages on the use genres in preaching? This book is useless; I don't need a textbook on Hebrew poetry to learn how to preach!" I imagine that many people that I know, at least the ones from back home in the Prairies, would think that Towards an Exegetical Theology is simply a book the "theology geeks" and the like.

Sadly, the individuals I'm thinking of are also the ones who will spend thousands of dollars to fly thousands of miles for a "church growth" seminar or a "pastoral leadership" convention, but end up investing next to nothing in their personal learning or sermon preparation. Also, the individuals I'm thinking of are the ones who hear a fantastic sermon and, not having a category in which to understand expositional preaching, attempt to `copy' what they heard and ending buying the same clothes and using the same vocal inflections. Kaiser is a stern rebuke to the reductionistic attitude toward the pulpit; Towards an Exegetical Theology holds forth a renaissance preacher who understands the 'exegetical significance' of fine points of exegesis via a wide variety of precisely honed skills with biblical languages, biblical hermeneutics, history and philosophy, and attempts to present that precise understanding of the content of scripture in a delicately balanced and skillful expositional delivery.

I appreciated the length and breadth of Towards an Exegetical Theology, and given the tremendously broad task that Kaiser undertook, I was surprised at the short length of the book. I can imagine how Towards an Exegetical Theology could have easily turned into a 5 volume, 5,000+ page work! Kaiser's introduction, overview of the history of hermeneutics, notes on the syntactical-theological method of interpretation and exegetical insights into various genres are all wonderfully written, but his final chapter on the Exegete/Pastor and the power of God is worth the whole cost of the book.

If you understand that biblical languages, hermeneutics and exegesis are important, but are sort of fuzzy on how that waw consecutive is significant, or what difference the genre of your book makes to your preparation and delivery, this is definitely the book for you.

There is a constant and stealthily disguised dichotomy running rampant in many parts of Evangelical Christendom suggesting that intense, academically articulate and exegetically sophisticated preparation in some way `limits the Holy Spirit'. Some individuals, though they would never verbalize the idea, seemingly operate as if a person could study the text so much in preparation for a sermon that he would inevitably enter the pulpit without `need' of the Holy Sprit. They act like the Holy Spirit `fills in the blanks', during a sermon, giving the preacher spontaneous insight into components of scripture not fully grasped during preparation. Kaiser refutes this idea, arguing that the role of the Holy Spirit in exposition instead lies with the application of the message to the hearts of the listening congregants, and this is best accomplished by accurate and intense preparation.

Towards an Exegetical Theology is definitely on the `must read' list for all pastors, and should be read regularly to remind them of the need to constantly develop the skills required to be a competent surgeon of the heart, using the tool that the Lord has provided; his efficacious word. If you constantly have trouble preparing a message that's more than 15 minutes because you honestly think that the text you're reading doesn't really say a whole lot, this book is a necessity for you to read repeatedly. There's no shame in being undeveloped in your exegesis, but if you want to grow in your ability to preach God's word to your people, this is one book that will fertilize you silly.

I understand why this book is so often recommended to Bible preachers/teachers- in-training. We need to heed Kaiser's exhortation today -- We must return to the single-meaning principle of biblical studies and declare scripture as God's authoritative message to our generation!

Kaiser's words are so applicable today as when the book was written in the 80's, "that which is needed above all else to make the Church more viable, authentic, and effective, is a new declaration of the Scriptures with a new purpose, passion, and power." (page 242) May this stir my heart to faithfully study and proclaim God's Word (2 Tim 4:2)!

Though closely linked, the distinguishing of the terms Hermeneutics and Exegesis is helpful. Hermeneutics seeks to describe the principles and rules in approaching the text (i.e. the theory), while Exegesis is the practice or process to "identify the single truth intention of individual phrases, clauses, and sentences as they make up the thought of paragraphs, sections, and ultimately entire books" (Page 47) For the exegete to be successful, Kaiser points out the need to study the original languages.

There are many practical `how-to's' to move from personal study to proclamation. Some helpful notes:
- Contextual analysis involves studying the connection of thoughts that run through the passage. Read the text repeatedly. Watch for repeated terms or phrases. Watch for grammatical clues. See if the author himself explicitly states a purpose. Make special study of the author's exhortations in the books as it may lead to the purpose of the book.
- Syntactical Analysis. Understand the literary type. Understand how a paragraph is structured: 1.) Isolate the theme proposition or sentence. 2.) identify all natural divisions in the paragraph. 3.) underscore all connectors such relative pronouns, prepositions, etc.. 4.) note how the proceeding thoughts relates to the current thought.
- Verbal Analysis. Understand cultural terms (here, I did not agree with Kaiser's conclusions from passages such as 1 Cor 14 and 1 Tim 2). Understand figures of speech and key theological terms. Kaiser says on this point, "Words, then, are the basic blocks for building meaning. We repeat, they must not be torn from their contexts. They will become untrustworthy guides if this happens."
- Be careful to study words with the meaning derived from the context, not with the total range of possible semantic values. See DA Carson's helpful and brief book "Exegetical Fallacies."
- Homiletical Analysis. Once you understand the author's themes, you are ready to principalize the themes for delivery to your audience. This becomes the main points of your message as you seek to add the contemporary challenge.

One point of caution that I had with the book was the critique of the grammatical-historical method and the suggested theory he calls the syntactical-theological method. Kaiser makes a valid point that the grammatical-historical method should not neglect a given author's syntax, i.e. "the way in which words are put together so as to form phrases, clauses, and sentences" (page 89). However, Kaiser also builds the case for including a "theological" component that seeks to frame scripture with an "informing theology" of scripture. There is the danger that one would levy upon a passage a misguided pre-understanding of the text based on a misunderstanding of what is antecedent to that passage. This could also undermine the single-meaning principle. Yes, scripture will inform our understanding of scripture, but this occurs after we objectively approach the text. That said, I'm not ready to discard the grammatical-historical terminology.

In addition to reading this book, I'd recommend Robert Thomas' book "Evangelical Hermeneutics: New Versus Old" and "Basic Bible Interpretation" by Roy Zuck. I'd also recommend Bryan Chapell's book "Christ-Centered Preaching" for its approach to study and sermon preparation.

This is a poorly formatted ebook. The text is forced into a difficult font (unchangeable). The word spacing is variable so that the text at any size contains rivers of whitespace flowing down the middle of the "page" rather than on having an uneven right hand side of the page like a book. Either wait for a properly formatted kindle version or buy the hard copy.

Dr. Kaiser's goal in Toward an Exegetical Theology is to fill in a gaping hole in the academic preparation for ministry "between the study of the biblical text...and the actual delivery of messages to God's people," by teaching the student "how one moves from analyzing the text over to constructing a sermon that accurately reflects that same analysis and is directly dependent on it" (8).

He seeks to accomplish this though what he calls the syntactical-theological method, which does not replace, but instead adds to the grammatico-historical method, seeing the twin ideas of syntactical (ch. 4, 8) and theological studies (ch. 6) as the bridge across the gap.

After introducing the book by summarizing modern catastrophes in exegetical studies, he shows what exegesis is and is not by surveying the history of exegesis (ch. 1-2).

He defines exegesis as the diligent "practice of and the set of procedures for discovering the author's intended meaning" (47), with the homiletical goal of proclaiming God's Word "in such a way that it can be heard with all its poignancy and relevancy to the modern situation without dismissing one iota of its original normativeness" (48).

The major section of the book is devoted to explaining his method of interpretation (ch. 3-8), after which he applies the method to three specific biblical genres (ch. 9-11).

He is keenly aware that his very detailed book may have just made the process of going from exegesis to exposition overwhelming, so he concludes with a big picture reminder to preachers of the need for the Spirit's ministry and power though His Word in their lives and ministries.

Sadly, I have owned this excellent book for well over five years, but only read it when I was assigned to do so in seminary. I say "sadly" because this book is immensely helpful and formative for what is becoming the exegetical method I will follow as I embark on the journey of preparing sermons for the rest of my life (Lord willing).

Walter C. Kaiser is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. This book is partly Kaiser's response to the crisis in exegetical theology. This crisis begins with how to interrupt the Bible and extends to how one makes it relevant to today through the act of preaching . Here, Kaiser seeks to remedy the problems that exist in these areas by offering what he calls the syntactical-theological method of interpretation. He also includes some practical advice on what he calls "special issues." Kaiser ends with an encouraging chapter on the power of God.

The book is presented in two main sections. The first section, after the introduction, deals specifically with how to analyze the text of Scripture. Kaiser takes the reader through the viewing the passage contextually, syntactically, verbally, theologically, and homiletically. In each of these sections, Kaiser is attempting to help the interpreter understand the passage within the larger context of Scripture. That is, to not only understand what the text itself means, but also to understand how it fits into the sections that surround it, the book as a whole, and eventually, the entire canon. Each step that he explains to the reader is a means to this end. The second section outlines how one should handle those special issues that arise when moving from text to sermon - specifically, how one should handle prophecy, narrative, and poetic texts.

With this book, Kaiser has given the preacher a great resource. He ably walks the reader through the various ways in which individuals and groups have approached God's word and evaluates each in light the approach that he advocates in the book. Kaiser also does a good job of explaining why he interprets the way he does and how he goes about doing it. Of course, the whole book is designed to teach this method of interpretation while simultaneously helping pastors understand Scripture in way that helps him preach the text well. Probably the most helpful section of this book is found in the second half of the book. There he illustrates how to outline a passage and deals with the unique concerns of preaching from prophecy, narrative, and poetry sections of Scripture.

One critique that I have comes in Kaiser's handling of some of the Old Testament texts. One example in particular is his handling of Nehemiah (pp. 205-210). It seems that he moves too quickly to application and possibly misses the point of the text. Surely there must be more to the book of Nehemiah than advice on how to be a godly leader and deal with trouble that threatens one's leadership or the progress he is trying to make? Where is the mention of God's plan for Nehemiah and the people of Israel in his day? How does that figure into how we apply the text? While, Kaiser's reading is certainly in line with much of the popular, contemporary teaching on Nehemiah, which sees only leadership principles in its pages, I hesitate in accepting this `bare' reading of the text. This hesitation only comes in a few places, because for the most part, I agree whole-heartedly with Kaiser's approach to the Bible and the move from original message to contemporary sermon that he advocates in the rest of the book.

This is one of the best works on exegesis. Not as heavy as "The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text" but is a good pair with it. The five chapters dealing with interpreting Scripture, if followed exactly, should give the reader the exact meaning of the text of Scripture being studied. I have recomended this book to many--it is for all people who use the Bible. If you want to understand what a certain verse means, then this tool can get you there.

Corrects many false views and assumptions one brings to the text of Scripture... if only all Christians would not follow the instructions here, exactly.

No other book helped me to become better at studying the Bible and preaching. Should be required reading for all pastors, missionaries, and anyone who stands before others and says, "This is what the Bible says." If I had a million dollars, I'd buy a copy for every pastor in American. Don't hesitate-Get it, read it, follow it!