Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation

"Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation" seeks to identify and clarify the basic problems of interpretation that affect our reading of the Bible today. This unique volume provides a comprehensive and systematic coverage of the field of general hermeneutics. "Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation" examines the impact of specific academic disciplines on the interpretation of the Bible. Previously published as separate volumes, its various sections explore the interface between hermeneutics and literary criticism, linguistics, history, science, and theology. Included in "Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation", each with its own separate table of contents, are: Has the Church Misread the Bible? - Moises Silva; Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation - Tremper Longman III; God, Language, and Scripture - Moises Silva; The Art of Biblical History - V. Philips Long; Science and Hermeneutics - Vern S. Poythress; and The Study of Theology - Richard A. Muller. These six sections cover the interface between hermeneutics and the major disciplines.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations HAS THE CHURCH MISREAD THE BIBLE? Moises Silva Preface 1. Today's Hermeneutical Challenge 2. Obstacles in the Study of the History of Interpretation 3. Literal or Figurative? 4. Clear or Obscure? 5. Relative or Absolute? Epilogue For Further Reading LITERARY APPROACHES TO BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION Tremper Longman III Editor's Preface Acknowledgments Introduction SECTION ONE: THEORY 1. A Historical Survey 2. An Appraisal of the Literary Approach 3. Basic Principles SECTION TWO: APPLICATION 4. The Analysis of Prose Passages 5. Examples of Prose Analysis 6. The Analysis of Poetic Passages 7. Examples of Poetic Analysis Epilogue For Further Reading GOD, LANGUAGE AND SCRIPTURE Moises Silva Preface 1. Introduction 2. Biblical Perspectives on Language 3. The Scientific Study of Language 4. The Historical Dimension 5. Describing the Biblical Languages (I) 6. Describing the Biblical Languages (II) 7. Epilogue--Passing It On Appendix: The Biblical Languages in Theological Education For Further Reading THE ART OF BIBLICAL HISTORY V. Philips Long Editor's Preface Author's Preface Introduction 1. History and the Genre(s) of the Bible: Is the Bible a History Book? 2. History and Fiction: What Is History? 3. History and Truth: Is Historicity Important? 4. History and Modern Scholarship: Why Do Scholars Disagree? 5. History and Hermeneutics: How Then Should We Read the Bible "Historically"? 6. An Extended Example: The Rise of Saul Epilogue For Further Reading SCIENCE AND HERMENEUTICS Vern S. Poythress Editor's Preface 1. How Should We Interpret the Bible? 2. The Influence of Natural Science on Biblical Interpretation 3. Thomas Kuhn and Contemporary Discussions of Scientific Discovery 4. Implications of Kuhn's Theory for Biblical Interpretation 5. Differences Between Biblical Interpretation and Science 6. Disciplinary Matrices in Biblical Interpretation 7. Models in Science and in Biblical Interpretation 8. Analogies as Perspectives 9. Lessons to Be Learned from the Contextual Character of Knowledge 10. Using Perspectives 11. Biblical Interpretation Reorganized Using Different Perspectives 12. Prospects for Deepening Our Understanding of the Bible Appendix: Interpretive Method and Other Fields of Research THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY Richard A. Muller Editor's Preface Introduction 1. The Study of Theology: Issues and Problems 2. The Theological Disciplines: Biblical and Historical Foundations 3. The Theological Disciplines: Contemporary Statement and Practice 4. The Unity of Theological Discourse Epilogue: The Study of Theology as an Exercise in Christian Culture For Further Reading Index of Biblical Passages Index of Modern Authors and Titles Index of Subjects

About the Author :
Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies and the chair of the religious studies department at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California where he lives with his wife, Alice. He is the Old Testament editor for the revised Expositor's Bible Commentary and has authored many articles and books on the Psalms and other Bible Studies. V. Phillips Long (Ph.D., Cambridge) is at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Richard A. Muller (Ph.D., Duke) is professor of historical theology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Vern Poythress (PhD, Harvard University; DTh, University of Stellenbach, 1981) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary. In addition to numerous journal articles and essays, he is author of many books including Symphonic Theology, Understanding Dispensationalists, God-Centered Biblical Interpretation, The Returning King, and The Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy. Moises Silva (PhD, University of Manchester) is a writer and editor who previously taught biblical studies at Westmont College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the revising editor of the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible and the author of six books, including Biblical Words and Their Meaning, a commentary on Philippians, and Interpreting Galatians. He has also coauthored two books and written numerous articles for scholarly journals. Silva also served as editor of the Westminster Theological Journal for fifteen years.