Wisdom for Faithful Reading - John H. Walton

Wisdom for Faithful Reading

Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation

(Autor)

Buch | Softcover
248 Seiten
2023
IVP Academic (Verlag)
978-1-5140-0487-6 (ISBN)
27,40 inkl. MwSt
The church has often lost its way in reading the Old Testament for lack of sound principles of interpretation. John Walton offers a consistent approach to give us confidence as faithful interpreters, laying out his tried-and-true practices developed over four decades in the classroom. You may never read the Old Testament the same way again.
The church has too often lost its way in reading the Old Testament for lack of sound principles of interpretation. When careless habits get us off track, we can lose sight of what the Bible is really saying, derailing our own spiritual growth and even risking discredit to God’s word.
We need a consistent approach to give us confidence as faithful interpreters. In Wisdom for Faithful Reading, the trusted Old Testament scholar John Walton lays out his tried-and-true best practices developed over four decades in the classroom. His principles are memorable, practical, and enlightening, including:


The Bible is written for us, but not to us.
Reading the Bible instinctively is not reliable and risks imposing a foreign perspective on the text.
More important than what the characters do is what the narrator does with the characters and what God is doing through the characters.
Not everything has a "biblical view."


Along with identifying common missteps, Walton's insights point the way to stay focused on what the Old Testament text communicated to its original audience—and what it has to say for us today. When we submit ourselves to be accountable to the authors' intentions we experience the true authority of Scripture, and faithful reading fuels a faithful life.
Using numerous examples across the breadth of the Old Testament and its genres, Walton equips thoughtful Christians to read more knowledgeably, to pay attention to God’s plans and purposes, to recognize good interpretations, and to truly live in light of Scripture. You may never read the Old Testament the same way again.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. His many books include The Lost World of Genesis One and other titles in the Lost World Series, Old Testament Theology for Christians, and the IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament.

List of Figures and Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments



Part I. General Principles


Section A: Introduction


1. One Quest

2. Two Caveats

3. Three Essential Commitments

4. Four Fundamental Concepts for Interpretation

5. Five Principles for Faithful Interpretation

Section B. General Bible


6. A Text Cannot Mean What It Never Meant

7. The Bible Is Written for Us but Not to Us

8. Reading the Bible Instinctively Is Not Reliable and Risks Imposing a Foreign Perspective on the Text

9. Literal Reading Means Being Accountable to the Ancient Author’s Literary Intentions

10. We Are Accountable to the Author’s Literary Intentions, Which Constitute the Affirmations of Scripture

11. A Genre Discussion Must Precede an Authority Conversation

12. All Translation Is Interpretation

13. Words That Are Roughly Comparable in Two Languages Often Carry Different Nuances

14. In a Hearing Dominant Culture There Are No Books or Authors as We Know Them, and "Book" Is the Last Step, Not the First

15. The Old Testament is Not About Jesus, but It Drives Us to Jesus

16. The Holy Spirit Cannot Be Used as an Appeal to Authority

17. Not Everything Has a "Biblical View"



Part II: Genre Guidelines


Section A: Pentateuch


18. Creation Is More About Order Than Material

19. The Seventh Day Is the Most Important of the Creation Days

20. Covenant Is More About Yahweh's Presence and Kingship Than About Law, Promise, or Salvation

21. Torah Is More About Instruction That Cultivates Wisdom Than Legislation That Results in Law

22. Torah Is Not Establishing an Ideal Social System but Is Speaking Wisdom into Israel's Social System

Section B: Narrative


23. Reality Is Bigger Than History

24. We Have to Understand a Text Literarily Before We Can Understand It Historically

25. We Cannot Get Behind the Literary Veil

26. More Important Than What the Characters Do Is What the Narrator Does with the Characters and What God Is Doing Through the Characters

Section C: Wisdom and Psalms


27. Wisdom Is the Pathway to Order

28. Proverbial Sayings Are Generalizations, Not Promises

29. Psalms Commends Prayer but Does Not Command Prayer

Section D: Prophecy and Apocalyptic


30. Prophecy Is More About Revealing God's Plans and Purposes Than Revealing the Future

31. Prophecy Is Not Prediction

32. Apocalyptic Is Not Prophecy

33. In Apocalyptic Literature, the Visions Are Not the Message, but the Occasion for the Message

34. Fulfillment Is Distinct from Message



Part III: A Way Forward


Section A: Characteristics of Faithful Reading


35. Reading Scripture Well

36. Five Tendencies to Avoid

Section B: Living Life


37. Living Life in Light of Scripture



Appendix

FAQs

Scripture Index

Erscheinungsdatum
Verlagsort IL
Sprache englisch
Maße 152 x 229 mm
Gewicht 354 g
Themenwelt Religion / Theologie Christentum Bibelausgaben / Bibelkommentare
Religion / Theologie Christentum Kirchengeschichte
Geisteswissenschaften Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft Sprachwissenschaft
ISBN-10 1-5140-0487-9 / 1514004879
ISBN-13 978-1-5140-0487-6 / 9781514004876
Zustand Neuware
Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt?
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
die Begründung von Lebensformen angesichts gesellschaftlicher …

von Matthias Becker

Buch | Softcover (2023)
Mohr Siebeck (Verlag)
29,00