Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach, 3rd ed.

by W. Randolph Tate

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2011

Overview

The third edition of Biblical Interpretation focuses on the three “worlds” of biblical interpretation—the world behind the text, the world of the text, and the world in front of the text. A fourth section helps readers combine the three worlds into an integrated hermeneutical strategy. Clear explanations of the various interpretive approaches are supported by helpful biblical examples. Key terms and study questions at the end of each chapter make this book ideal for classroom use. Succinct synopses highlight a host of distinct approaches to understanding the Bible. New synopses and an updated bibliography help readers keep pace with the most recent developments in biblical interpretation.

Whether you’re a student, scholar, pastor, or professor, Biblical Interpretation provokes you to read the Bible honestly—to let it surprise, challenge, and correct you as you apply the many steps of interpretation. By using the tools included in Biblical Interpretation, you’ll approach Bible study with more depth and understanding. Integrate the practical methods found in this volume with your preferred Bible, the Passage Guide, and the other Bible study tools in Logos Bible Software—then dive into Bible study with a vast knowledge base right before your eyes.

Key Features

• Provides readers a guide to biblical interpretation, exegesis, and hermeneutics
• Emphasizes the importance of biblical interpretation for understanding the historical and contemporary relevance of Scripture

Contents

Top Highlights

“Hermeneutics has traditionally been defined as the study of the locus of meaning and the principles of interpretation. Biblical hermeneutics, then, studies the locus of meaning and principles of biblical interpretation. Hermeneutics in the broad sense is bipolar: exegesis and interpretation. Exegesis is the process of examining a text to ascertain what its first readers would have understood it to mean. The varied set of activities which the hermeneut performs upon a text in order to make meaningful inferences is exegesis. Interpretation is the task of explaining or drawing out the implications of that understanding for contemporary readers and hearers.” (Page 1)

“Since the 1950s a reversal in the way interpreters approach the text has occurred. With the modern emphasis on the autonomy of the text and the role of the reader in the production of meaning, scholars have dislodged the text from its historical mooring and set it adrift in a sea of relativity, where there are as many meanings of the text as there are waves of the sea.” (Pages 3–4)

“The goal of this chapter is singular: to demonstrate that the pursuit of background studies (i.e., exegesis) is an indispensable prerequisite for the explication of plausible textual meaning; that is, historical, cultural, generic, grammatical, ideological, and even geographical studies are prerequisites for a successful interpretation of a text.” (Page 11)

“To this point we have seen that author-centered approaches to meaning tend to neglect the world of the text and the world of the reader. Text-centered approaches, in claiming textual autonomy, downplay the boundaries imposed by the world of the author upon the text. Now we observe that reader-centered approaches generally find meaning in the interaction between the worlds of the text and the reader. The best we have here is the marriage of two worlds—the reader’s and the text’s or the author’s and the text’s. What I propose in this book is that meaning results from a conversation between the world of the text and the world of the reader, a conversation informed by the world of the author.” (Page 5)

Praise for the Print Edition

Tate offers an informed and balanced study of variety in biblical interpretation. His command of primary and secondary sources and his clarity of presentation make this book a vade mecum for students and teachers.

—Phyllis Trible, university professor of biblical studies, Wake Forest University

In this significantly expanded edition of his textbook, W. Randolph Tate brings the advantages of an integrated understanding of biblical hermeneutics to a new generation of interpreters. He does more here than simply clarify his explanations of methods and add updated bibliographical references. In this edition Tate more fully applies his ‘three worlds’ typology to an orientation of biblical hermeneutics vis-à-vis the plethora of critical methods now in regular use among increasingly diverse contemporary literary and biblical interpretive communities. In the process his typology proves itself a flexible and reliable framework for the study of biblical hermeneutics.

—William Yarchin, professor of biblical studies, School of Theology, Azusa Pacific University

Tate’s 1991 book carefully sketched out the differences between and the interrelationships among the world behind the text, the world within the text, and the world in front of the text. The second and revised edition (1997) provided additional information about the relationship between the text and the reader: ‘What Happens When We Read?’ His third edition addresses some of the new insights into hermeneutics that have appeared within the last decade. While short lists of relevant resources are included throughout the book after each section, a 22-page bibliography can be found at the end of the book. These bibliographies, along with the author, subject, and biblical text indices at the end, add to the usefulness of this first-rate book as a textbook for studying biblical interpretation.

—The Bible Today

While Tate insists that his is not a textbook on critical methodologies, one of the outstanding features of this volume is its insistence on providing an accessible (and of necessity, brief) introduction to the seemingly inexhaustible list of methodological approaches currently at the disposal of the contemporary biblical interpreter. Not surprisingly, given Tate’s work on Mark, the volume excels toward the end when illustrating the merging of Tate’s ‘three worlds’ in his interpretation of the second gospel. . . . An array of indexes, a steady stream of discussion questions, and well-stocked lists of further reading make this a very usable introduction to contemporary biblical interpretation.

—Vetus Testamentum

Tate’s third edition of his Biblical Interpretation reveals a mature approach to the subject of hermeneutics. . . . Review questions are included with each chapter to help the reader think through the issues. . . . The book is especially helpful for those who have already studied hermeneutics and exegesis. . . . Readers will also benefit from Tate’s discussion of critical methods. . . . This volume is a helpful addition to resources on interpretation. Its focus on three worlds [author, text, and reader] provides a perspective that will help readers balance their approach in the exegetical process.

—Bibliotheca Sacra

Product Details

• Title: Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach
• Author: W. Randolph Tate
• Edition: 3rd
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 400

About W. Randolph Tate

W. Randolph Tate is a professor of humanities at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, where he has taught for more than 25 years. He is the author of several books, including Handbook for Biblical Interpretation: An Essential Guide to Methods, Terms, and Concepts, 2nd ed. and Interpreting the Bible: A Handbook of Terms and Methods.