Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A textbook of Hermeneutics (Paperback)

by Bernard Ramm (Author)
Key Phrases: biblical hermeneutics, literal principle, typological exegesis, Old Testament, New Testament, Holy Scripture (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Since its publication in 1950, Protestant Biblical Interpretation has been a standard introduction to hermeneutics in evangelical colleges and seminaries. Twice revised, this textbook has sold well over 100,000 copies. Now this venerable resource appears for the first time in a paperback edition.

Hermeneutics, writes the author, is the science and art of Biblical interpretation. ... As such it forms one of the most important members of the theological sciences. This is especially true for conservative Protestantism, which looks on the Bible as ... the only authoritative voice of God to man.

After surveying the history of biblical interpretation, the author devotes seventy pages to explicating the Protestant system of hermeneutics. He then discusses the doctrinal, devotional, and practical uses of the Bible. Following a chapter on the hermeneutical dimension of the problem of biblical inerrancy and secular science, he concludes with chapters on the interpretation of types, prophecy, and parables.

About the Author
Bernard Ramm (191692) taught for over forty years at evangelical colleges and seminaries. He wrote several books, including The Christian View of Science and Scripture, After Fundamentalism: The Future of Evangelical Theology, and Offense to Reason: The Theology of Sin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic; 3rd edition (January 1, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801020832
• ISBN-13: 978-0801020834
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #418,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Protestant Biblical Interpretation by Bernard Ramm, June 20, 2000

By	Robert MacMillan (Tracy, California, USA) - See all my reviews

Ramm's book is a foundational textbook for anyone who wants to begin a study of hermeneutics. Unlike many of the newer books, this one does not have a particular slant other than the basic approach of grammatico-historical protestant interpretation. For those desiring to read Moises Silva and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.'s book or Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Ramm must be read first. Remember Vince Lombardi's instructions: "gentlemen, this is a football." This is what Ramm does: "Gentlemen, this is hermeneutics."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, even-handed and informative, November 13, 2006

By	David A. Bayliss "DAB" (Delray Beach, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bernard Ramm's book almost has to be viewed as a tale of three halves. The title is extremely apposite both in terms of the subject matter that is covered but also in the approach that is taken. The approach is very much one of an even handed survey of all methods of interpretation that can be classified as Protestant. In fact towards the end the author made mention of the `approach that we have been promoting' and I had to think quite hard as to which of the methods discussed was actually the one the author favored. It must also be said that whilst this book is fairly dry and scholarly in approach it is not overly technical. It abounds in references to others works and bibliographies but it does not require significant existing knowledge of the subject matter in hand.

The effect of this distinctive approach had a very different effect upon me for the three major themes that the book carried. The first third is a survey of the historic schools of interpretation. This spanned from the work of the early fathers through to modern philosophic schools. Some of the work on early interpretation I found historically interesting. The work on more modern schools will be less useful to someone avowedly conservative.

The second third is a very detailed and systematic analysis of conservative protestant hermeneutics. As a reference work the degree of distinction obtained is incredible. For example the section on `theologies verses theology' raised a concept I had known but never found a way to verbalize. However if viewed as a `how to' or motivational treatise it was painful in the extreme. This is probably a 'must read' for someone heavily in hermeneutics; however it is hard work.

The third section however was a look at typology, prophecy and parables. This section was simply excellent. Ramm's even handedness here shone brilliantly. He was able to point out flaws and inconsistencies in, for example, the literalists allowance of types that would almost certainly raise barriers if written by a different author. He essentially argues for a millennial and literal approach whilst simultaneously urging a greater appreciation of those passages that do require more spiritualized interpretation. His ability to clearly handle subtle issues requiring finesse make this one of the few texts I have read that have a chance of (slightly) changing someone's thinking on this subject.

One closing comment to make is that whilst this book was printed in 2004 that is the fifth printing of the third revision; the original is a nineteen fifties book. I generally have no problem with aged texts; however some of the sections on historical progression and trends definitely show their age.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic in Hermeneutics!, August 16, 2001

By	"saintvalentine_sg" (Singapore) - See all my reviews

In the world of biblical academia, there has been as assorted array of books that pivot on the topic as diverse as well as important as biblical hermeneutics. In that respect, only few books rise above the others and were hailed as classics in this field.

One of them is "Protestant Biblical Interpretation". Written by a scholar in his own right, it touches on a wide array of subjects within the science of hermeneutics - ranging from a history of interpretation in Christendom (allegorical, literal, etc), the basic rules of Protestant interpretation, to the devotional and practical use of the Bible.

One unique feature of this book is that it touches on Protestant hermeneutics in an objective manner in which no theological position is sited or defended or even antagonize in any way. It basically teaches on the historical-grammatical method of exegeting the Word of God.

Surely a book that has rendered a valuable service to the Body of Christ in the past 50 years. Any avid Bible student will surely benefit from its insights!