History of Biblical Interpretation: A Reader

History of Biblical Interpretation starts at 150 BCE and moves to the present in exploring the major developments and principal approaches to interpreting the Bible.

Written by: William Yarchin

 

What questions do interpreters ask of Scripture and how have those questions changed over time? History of Biblical Interpretation starts at 150 BCE and moves to the present in exploring the major developments and principal approaches to interpreting the Bible. Thirty-four chapters survey the most significant methods and provide introductions to the prominent people who exemplify them. Each chapter also presents an original document that demonstrates this person’s interpretational approach and includes a reference bibliography for further reading. Whether used as a textbook or in individual study, this excellent introduction to the history of biblical interpretation will open new doors for students of the Bible, theology, and church history.

"Yarchin’s History of Biblical Interpretation provides students, scholars, and interested lay readers with a sorely needed collection of writings devoted to the interpretation of biblical literature from Greco-Roman times through the present. Unlike other works, this volume does not simply discuss the history of biblical interpretation. Instead, Yarchin presents the reader with a virtual cornucopia of examples from the extraordinarily rich history of biblical interpretation in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. The volume includes examples from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Justin Martyr, Augustine, the early Syrian Church, the Jerusalem Talmud, Saadiah Gaon, John Calvin, Moses Mendelssohn, Hermann Gunkel, Brevard Childs, Jon Levenson, Phyllis Trible, and many more. Yarchin’s volume will become an indispensable textbook and resource for all concerned with the interpretation of the Bible."
—Marvin A. Sweeney, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Claremont School of Theology

"The essays Yarchin has selected for the book are well chosen to represent the numerous diverse strategies for reading the Bible beginning with the second century BCE through the present day. His introduction to the book, a history of Biblical interpretation in Jewish and Christian contexts, and his helpful introductions to each essay in the volume are written in clear and concise prose at a level for the general reader. Where the language of a given essay may be technical or otherwise unclear, Yarchin clarifies with notes and parenthetical explanations. He neither advocates one method over another nor critiques methods as to strengths and weaknesses. His introductions to the essays are geared to facilitate a reader’s understanding of the strategy in its historical context, and his bibliography with each essay guides the reader to additional information on the method. The book is a wonderful resource for the classroom and provides a literary laboratory for student discussion of method and strategy in reading the Bible. Having representative essays of the major turning points in the history of biblical interpretation assembled in a one-volume reader should also facilitate the discussion of methods in the guild by making materials, particularly the older essays, easily accessible. Some of the essays are here translated into English for the first time. Yarchin is a reliable and unbiased guide through the rather complex and argumentative history of biblical interpretation. An exceptional book! It will remain a valuable resource for years to come."
—Charles W. Hedrick, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies, Southwest Missouri State University