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	• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart Zondervan, 2003 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 88 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Worthy Study

This is a no-nonsense, conservative approach to interpreting the Bible, focusing on what the Bible meant to the ancient audience as a springboard to what it means now. We have a tendency, at least I do, to do hermeneutics (what the Bible means to us) prior to exegesis (what the Bible meant originally). This book makes it clear that we are being copied on ancient literature, and that we have to be sure of what we are reading. Also, some of it is not even meant for direct application, like the book of Acts; even though many first time events took place then, it is not meant to be normative for the church of all time. In a word, the book appeals to a much less self-absorbed approach to studying the Bible.

The book is written in a dry, textbook, academic fashion. I was slightly bothered by that, but got over it when I saw all the good information it contained. It vaguely reminded me of a book by F.F. Bruce called 'The Canon of Scripture': not much fun, but very informative. It was a little like attending a college class taught by a professor who never smiles!

The important thing, however, is the valuable information presented. Even though I've been reading the Bible a long time, I learned some basic principles that I will start using right away. For that reason, it is a worthy study.

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Exceptionally Helpful

An older revision of this was one of my Bible College textbooks in the early 1980's. It's way better now...and it was very good then. For example, Fee gives clear minded, thoughtful approaches to every type of literature (genre) in the bible.

So many times as a pastor I hear someone make a statement about the meaning of a bible passage which is not what the passage is really about..only what they think it means. Fee basically helps people think through what the author of the passage meant for the readers it was actually written to...before we try to discern principles that apply to us.

This is great for people who often say...'I feel it means'...because he gives sound common sense principles for understanding the bible. It should be required reading for church leaders and pastors. I also recommend it's companion, How to read the bible book by book. It's excellent as well....showing how to apply the principles from this book in every book of the bible. Finally, another book in this field worth reading is "Let The Reader Understand" by Clayton/McCartney

If you write sermons, check out NT Exegesis by Fee.

I hope you get this one and carefully read it and apply it to your life. You will be blessed if you do!

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Solid and Detailed

Fee, G.D. Stuart, D. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. 287 pages.

This is the toolbox I'd like to place in the hands of every seminary student. It's a through guide to exegesis with sensitivity to the dynamics of the various genres of literature, noting the distinguishing characteristics of the epistles, the Old Testament narratives, Acts, the Gospels, the parables in particular, the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, Wisdom literature and Revelation. For each, the authors tell the student of Scripture what to look for and what to avoid for interpretation and application.

The first two chapters seem to be an overbearing advertisement for Today's New International Version of the Bible, which sparked controversy among some right-wing Christians by updating the gender specific language of humanity. However, these authors seem to almost unilaterally think that the interpretation of TNIV was more intellectually sound.

That out of the way, they proceed to take us through the various genres of Scripture, looking first at the historical and literary contexts of each, and then walk us through the hermeneutical questions of application. They define a number of subtle missteps we could take, overextending our application to the text to situations that are not exactly parallel in another culture. We run the risk of: allegorizing, decontextualizing, selectivity, moralizing, personalizing, misappropriation (using the text for purposes other than what the text says), false appropriation (reading current issues into the text), false combination (finding points from combining separate texts), and redefinition (applying a text to a modern situation to make it more exciting) (p. 102-3). The two key rules to keep in mind are that 1) the text cannot mean other than what it meant to the original author and hearers, and 2) comparable modern particulars bear application of that specific text (p. 74-5).

Of particular interest were a few random gems. The do's and don'ts of interpreting Old Testament Law on p. 180 should be distributed during any sermon on the subject. I've never seen the clear division of types of utterance in the Prophetic literature: the lawsuit, the woe, the promise, the enactment prophecy, the messenger speech, the poet (p. 195-7). I take issue with the claim that the Old Testament narratives were not intended to teach moral lessons (p. 92). I think this flies in the face of exactly what story-telling does. What the authors do particularly well is to break into subtle distinctions the activity of hermeneutics and the categories of the text. Such analysis creates a healthy structure from which to work.

The only problem with the text is that it is so thorough that I found some of it to be an overstatement of the obvious. Their caution about application of the book of Acts and Revelation seemed geared to a conservative, charismatic audience, and maybe even to views that would be held by the uneducated, who probably won't read a book like this anyway. It presumes an intellectual interest in interpreting Scripture but does not assume a moderate level of common sense on the reader's part. Thus, perhaps, there's really just too much information here. A more critical modern reader might also raise questions about this modernist approach to interpretation in the wake of deconstruction. Consequently, though I like the book, I would have to be selective about to whom I recommended it.

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Great book

This is a good book for learning how to study the Bible. Read this for a my class in Hermuneutics. If you're a bible teacher or in leadership this would be a great book to read to gain skills in how to study the Bible.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

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