At the time of printing, John Hayes was the Professor of Old Testament at the Chandler School of Theology of Emory University. He has written various works on the Bible as well as serving as editor for the Knox Preaching Guides and John Know Press.
Carl Holladay was professor of New Testament at the same institution, and has written numerous Bible Studies.
This is a compact book, 159 pages from cover to cover. As the title implies, this is a beginner’s book, a guide into exegesis for those who are not familiar with academic terms and distinctions, a clear and unhurried introduction to an important and stimulating area of study. The Theological Educator said, "Recommended as an introduction to biblical exegesis for students. Easy to read, yet it provides an excellent discussion of theory and practice." The revised edition was published in 1987, and is a traditional book of text, with only a few illustrations. It would be interesting to know if anyone has attempted a more visual approach to this, or related topics, for the benefit of those who learn more easily from more graphic presentations.
The first thirty two pages make up an introduction to the topic, starting with today’s highway signs and other common items which we must read and interpret on a daily basis as a points of reference. Readers are soon lead into consideration of sacred texts and the many factors which may complicate an accurate understanding of those texts, factors such as translation from a language other than the interpreter’s, editorial additions and changes over time, differences of cultural understanding and more.
The authors then move on to different categories of criticism. There are separate chapters for textual, historical, grammatical, literary, form, tradition, redaction, struturalist, and canonical criticism.
The final two chapters then deal with how to tie it all together and make the most out of it, depending on one’s goal
Response:
I wish this book had been on a required reading list when I started seminary courses two years ago. I blundered along without a clear cut idea of the extent and boundaries of exegesis, and the results have been predictable. This book is in plain English, and it thoroughly covers the topic.
Any novice who needs to complete exegetical work for classroom or deep personal study can benefit from this book. Students who have attempted exegetical papers with disappointing results will also find this book worth reading; sometimes we need to start over from step 1 to attain the desired goal.
Author & Audience
Mark Allan Powell is an Associate Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. The intended audience for this book seems to be quite broad it includes those that are familiar with other forms of criticism and are wondering how narrative criticism compares or relates as well as those that may be just starting to learn about different approaches to studying scripture. This is as much because of the fact that it is easy to understand and even though comparisons are made to other forms of criticism the all the information needed to understand these comparisons are included. On the other hand several times throughout it is clear that Powell is making an argument that is directed toward someone who is partial to another type of criticism.
Thesis
Powell expresses a belief that narrative criticism fulfills a need that has not been met by other forms of criticism in biblical studies. He shows how the narrative approach adds to the other forms to give a more complete picture, while at the same time making clear the differences between reading the gospels as literature and using approaches such as historical criticism.
Powell gives a brief overview of the various kinds of criticisms and then begins to explain in detail the narrative or literary approach to reading text. As he gives each element of literary criticism he then gives an example of what this would bring out in one or more of the gospels. Powell then ends the book by laying out the benefits and objections to narrative criticism. Powell has looked at the various forms of criticisms and the kind of information that they provide when applied to text, in particular the gospels. He then compares those results with what information can be discovered by using the literary approach. He does point to others who have done specific work using the literary approach and their findings.
Response
I actually really enjoyed reading this book because even though I was aware that I might have a different reaction to some of what he had to say if I had more knowledge of the other approaches that lack of knowledge did not prevent me from understanding what he was saying. I also liked the detailed examples because I am a practical person and always prefer to see how something really works. I think that the people that could benefit from reading this book include; anyone just getting started in biblical criticism, and people that have been using another form of criticism for a while and would like a new way to see the text.
Author and Audience
Bruce M. Metzger is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton Theological Seminary. The third edition of his book contains some 40 pages of new material concerning newly discovered Greek manuscripts and advances in textual criticism.
The book is designed for a serious student of New Testament textual criticism. Metzger covers the whole range of this art / science, beginning with the making of manuscripts and their transmission, followed by a description of the most important manuscripts of the New Testament. Next, he traces the history of textual criticism of the New Testament, beginning with the Greek texts and then following that with a survey of important biblical translations. Mr. Metzger then outlines several theories of textual criticism. He ends his work with a number of specific textual problems and ‘walks’ the reader through a process of evaluation of the variant readings to arrive at a judgment of what is probably the most accurate reconstruction of the original text.
Thesis
If the book has a thesis, it is that, in the area of text-critical approaches, the variant readings of a biblical passage must be carefully studied, and reasoned considerations must be made as to what likely is the best and most accurate reading. In other words, the use of judgment and reason must be a part of the process and not just a cold, statistical analysis of the variants under consideration. The process therefore becomes a science and an art form at once. Mr. Metzger supports the approaches advanced by such scholars as Johann Griesbach, Karl Lachmann, and the collaborative work of Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, all of whom are discussed below.
Evidence Evaluated
Before Mr. Metzger reveals his support for certain text-critical approaches, however, he gives a comprehensive description of the making of manuscripts and their transmission, followed by a description of important manuscripts. Next, he describes the history of textual criticism of the New Testament, and follows that with a survey of modern, scholarly text-critical approaches.
Biblical manuscripts were made of papyrus or leather (vellum); papyrus was used much more than vellum, in scroll form, until the third or fourth century CE, when vellum became almost exclusively the material of choice, used in the form of a codex, or book. The politics and commercial interests in Alexandria, Egypt, had much to do with the discovery and development of vellum parchment, and Mr. Metzger narrates this account quite interestingly. Metzger follows this summary with a lengthy description of the three classes of New Testament witnesses, the Greek manuscripts, the ancient translations into other languages, and the writing of the Church Fathers.
Mr. Metzger proceeds with a lengthy presentation and, in some cases, quite interesting descriptions, of the most important Greek papyrus manuscripts. He cites in particular the Chester Beatty collection. He describes next the important uncial manuscripts in codex form, most notably the Codex Sinaiticus (Codex À?. His account of the discovery of this codex by Dr. Constantin von Tischendorf at St. Catharine’s monastery in 1853 on Mount Sinai is absorbing. Mr. Metzger continues with an account and description of other uncials, including Codex A (Alexandrinus), Codex B (Vaticanus), Codex C (Ephraemi), Codex D (Bezae), and Codex DP (Claromontanus). He then summarizes the remainder of the great uncials. Mr. Metzger discusses in some detail manuscripts of other languages, including those written in Syriac, Latin, and Coptic. He concludes the section with a summary of the documents of the early Church Fathers.
In the next section of his book, Mr. Metzger traces the history of pre-critical use of texts, and describes in detail what came to be known as the Textus Receptus, or "common text", which took place with the development of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. Metzger discusses the two competing ‘camps‘ to publish the first Greek New Testament. One camp was in Spain, where there emerged what became know as the Complutensian Polyglot edition of the Greek Bible. The other camp was located in Rotterdam with Desiderius Erasmus. The rush to have the first publication resulted in a hurried and compromising work on the part of Erasmus, which resulted in the long-standing Textus Receptus. The Complutensian Polyglot Bible may have had a better Greek translation, but the edition by Erasmus prevailed and became the dominant Greek translation. The subsequent King James Version of the Bible was a translation based on the Textus Receptus. Mr. Metzger compellingly describes the prevailing influence of the Textus Receptus : "[The Textus Receptus] lies at the basis of the King James version and of all the principal Protestant translations in the languages of Europe prior to 1881. So superstitious has been the reverence accorded the Textus Receptus that in some cases attempts to criticize or emend it have been regarded as akin to sacrilege. Yet its textual basis is essentially a handful of late and haphazardly collected minuscule manuscripts, and in a dozen passages its reading is supported by no know Greek witness." (p. 106)
Mr. Metzger moves next to the modern period of textual criticism, beginning in the 18th century, with Johann Griesbach (1745-1812). Among Griesbach’s contributions was the cataloguing of several newly discovered uncial and minuscule manuscripts to three major groupings, the Western textual grouping, the Alexandrian, and the Byzantine. (Mr. Metzger describes each of these groupings in an earlier section, and demonstrates that each group has distinctive stylistic features as well as geographic parameters.) But perhaps Griesbach’s greatest contribution was his development of the theories of "lectio brevior potior" (the shorter reading is the oldest) and "lectio difficilior potior" (the more difficult reading is the oldest). What that did for textual criticism was to eventuate the overthrow of the dominance of the Textus Receptus. His work opened the way for other textual critics and introduced new recensions based on better manuscripts discovered after the Textus Receptus. One of the more famous of new textual critics was Karl Lachmann (1793-1851). In Berlin in 1831 Lachmann published a Greek text edition which included a list of the passages differing from the Textus Receptus. Also notable about this edition was a text constructed directly from the ancient manuscripts and not through any previously printed edition. Constantin von Tischendorf was another scholar who published several editions of the Greek Testament and established a critical apparatus which enabled him to include variant readings from other manuscripts as well as readings from the Church Fathers.
A third contributing party in the beginning of modern period of text criticism and in the development of sound text-critical practices was that of Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828-1892). These two men introduce two theories of text criticism: (1) Internal Evidence of Readings, and (2) Internal Evidence of Documents. Mr. Metzger explains these approaches and shows how Westcott and Hort arrived at four principal types of text, known as the Syrian, Western, Alexandrian, and Neutral. Mr. Metzger spells out the compelling argument for these four categories.
Westcott and Hort’s theories put a final blow to the dominance of the Textus Receptus. Mr. Metzger concludes the section by mentioning the publication of the New English Bible (New Testament published in 1961), apparently to suggest that the King James version had been eclipsed by other, more reliable and accurate translations from much more reliable witnesses, as well as much more careful editing.
The next section of the book discusses the origins of scholarly textual criticism, and discusses the work of Zenoclotus of Ephesus (c. 352-234 B.C.) with the Homeric Greek epics of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Mr. Metzger reveals the irony involved in efforts to discover the original texts of the New Testament text, in that many who worked toward that end were excommunicated as heretics, especially a certain Theodotus who, with his followers, undertook a critical revision of the biblical text. They were condemned because of their interest in math and logic, as well as because they dared to apply textual criticism to the Septuagint, believed by most to be divinely written, a belief not unlike that of the later Textus Receptus. The fate of Theodotus notwithstanding, however, scholarly text criticism continued through the likes of Origen of Alexandria, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine, on through the Middles Ages to Francis Lucas of Bruges. (Bruges used the three classes of evidence for his critical recensions of the New Testament, i.e., Greek witnesses, early versions, and the Church Fathers, publishing his "Notationes in sacra Biblia, quibus variantia ... discutiuntur" in 1580.) (Metzger, p. 155)
The discussion of origins of scholarly text criticism shifts to the modern era, and Mr. Metzger describes the scholarly methods used. He credits Karl Lachmann, along with Friedrich Wolf (1759-1824) and Immanuel Bekker (1785-1871) as having developed and applied critical methods in the editing of classical texts. Mr. Metzger then discusses reaction against the classical approach. He cites Joseph Bédier, who thought the best manuscripts could be discerned on the basis of grammar, coherent sense, and simple orthography. Albert C. Clark challenged the classical axiom of "brevior lectio potior" and replaced it with "longior lectio potior", which resulted in the Western text becoming in his work the favored text, thereby contradicting the prevailing point of view of the time, one that Westcott and Hort had championed.
From there Mr. Metzger discusses other text-critical theories, including statistical methods and eclecticism. He also mentions B. H. Streeter’s theory of local texts, akin to Westcott and Hort’s theory of textual groupings.
Mr. Metzger concludes his survey of textual criticism with an examination of the causes for error in the transmission of the New Testament text. He cites two kinds of error, unintentional changes and intentional changes. The unintentional changes include faulty eyesight on the part of the scribes, errors resulting from faulty hearing, citing scribes writing from dictation and the myriad number of reasons error could compromise the text. He also cites errors resulting from faulty memory, noting that scribes had to "hold" a clause or letter sequence in memory upon hearing the utterance and committing to the manuscript. He finally cites simple errors of judgment.
As for intentional changes, Mr. Metzger includes spelling and grammar, harmonistic corruptions, additions of natural complements, cleaning up historical and geographical problems, conflations of readings, and alterations resulting from doctrinal issues.
The final section of the book is a wonderful step by step guide to solving specific textual problems. Mr. Metzger guides the reader through each issue, applying the theories of Griesbach, Lachmann, and Westcott and Hort. This section is helpful for beginning students in the field of text criticism.
Response
This text is must reading for all students who have an interest in textual criticism of the New Testament. The book is informative, clearly written, and the practicum at the end of the text is a most helpful aid to getting started in text-critical work. I highly recommend this book for all students of theology.
Mark Allan Powell wrote this book for the student of the methods of biblical criticism. By way of explaining the process of how the relatively new concept of narrative criticism compares, contrasts, and intertwines with the other established methods of criticism, he gives the reader insight into the processes of writing and reading narratives. No points were without support - either biblically or secularly. His use of examples of literature known by the student makes the unknowns of biblical criticism understandable.
Powell explains that narrative criticism is based on what is being read (text-centered study) – such as the Gospels as complete books – unencumbered by outside influences. We should consider the text using Powell’s model: "implied author ® narrative ® implied reader," which he explains as the author implied by the textual content writing the text as a story (narrative) that is read by the reader it was meant for. Narrative criticism would have us not consider the real author because what the author writes may not be what the author really believes. Narrative criticism would have us consider who the text was intended for as the real reader (us as an example) may be burdened with knowledge, beliefs, or prejudices that would give a different slant on the reading than was intended and would affect the true meaning of the text.
Powell believes the Bible’s literary qualities can and should be studied along with other methods of interpreting ancient writings. Historical criticism, according to Powell "seeks to reconstruct the life and thought of biblical times through an objective, scientific analysis of biblical material"(2). He feels that the Gospels are "stories about Jesus, not compilations of miscellaneous data concerning him"(2). All stories (narratives) have characters, events, and settings. These characteristics are found in the Scriptures: there are characters with points of view, events that reveal history, and settings that set the tone for the message that the author is trying to convey. Powell believes we have to know the historical facts surrounding the stories we read to fully understand what the implied author was trying to tell the implied reader.
Two objections to narrative criticism Powell addresses are the claims: 1.) It is the evaluation of ancient literature by modern standards, and 2.) It is the evaluation of the work as if it were fiction. Powell leads the reader through an explanation that plainly shows the storytelling experience is the same for ancients as for moderns, novels as well as Gospels, and that such stories are subject to narrative analysis.
Powell lists and explains many benefits of narrative criticism. Among them, in Powell’s words, is a "checks and balances on traditional methods"(86). He illustrates by writing, "If a literary reading is basically compatible with a particular historical interpretation, it may be viewed as corroborating the accuracy of the latter"(86) to which the opposite is also true. A second benefit, he writes, is that "narrative criticism tends to bring scholars and nonprofessional Bible readers closer together"(87). The knowledge of the history of how the text has come to be in the form read (historical criticism) is not necessary to appreciate the literary qualities evaluated by narrative criticism. Another benefit suggested by Powell is that "narrative criticism offers fresh interpretations of biblical material"(90) – by focusing on the text, we are able to make different interpretations by leaving off any constraints that would generate overtones.
My favorite passage of Powell’s is his comparison of the old adage of a tree falling and making a sound only if someone is there to hear it to his statement "The Bible becomes the Word of God in those who receive it"(98). I feel this summarizes what his book is all about. Powell’s message is to study any text by all methods available but really hear and understand what the message of an author is truly saying.
I wish I had read this book when I first studied literature. Powell explains narrative writing in terms that are understandable. This book is a good primer for the methods of criticism. Powell incorporates several comparisons of source, form, redaction, and especially historical criticism to narrative criticism into his text. He explains how these methods each provide a piece of the puzzle for interpreting a writer’s work.
An interesting point is that Powell’s first chapter is titled "Scripture as Story" and the last is titled "Story as Scripture." From the book, you learn that he has taken the Scriptures through the evaluation of items he examines in his other chapters: "Ways of Reading," "Story and Discourse," "Events," "Characters," and "Settings." He brings the reader to the conclusion that Scriptures can be evaluated effectively as story (narrative) and that stories can be Scripture.
William E. Phipps' inquiries into the nature of Jesus' sexuality have sparked controversy for nearly three decades. His first book, Was Jesus Married? The Distortion of Sexuality in the Christian Tradition (1970), made a fractious debut. His second book on the topic was The Sexuality of Jesus: Theological and Literary Perspectives. His latest book, The Sexuality of Jesus
(1996), is key for those interested in understanding contemporary ideas of sexuality in the Christian world, and the historical precedents that have molded this ethos.
The Sexuality of Jesus consists of six chapters followed by end notes, a selected bibliography, and two indices: subject and Biblical. Each chapter could easily be extracted from the main text and read as an individual essay.
In the introduction Phipps explains the culmination of events that brought him to write his current book. Interesting to note in the introduction are the published responses from readers of his earlier books; many are indictments. He continues in the introduction to explain how he has structured the chapters, and by revealing the topics he is most interested to explore.
The second chapter examines the ideas of Jesus' conception. "Beginnings and Maturation" is a critical examination of the Virgin Birth (parthenogenesis), and does well to set a backdrop for the events of Christ's early life. Phipps explores early Jewish culture and vividly depicts contemporary life for a young Jew in the Palestine region, including marriage norms, sexual expectations, and social law.
Sic et Non dialogue characterizes chapter three, "The Celibacy Debate." Phipps utilizes the same literary device used by Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (p.44). Phipps posits a short question that reflects his thesis (i.e. "Jesus was an ascetic who sacrificed sexual happiness," p.72), then presents a persuasive and rational argument for both the pro and con position.
"Women and Magdalene" is an incisive examination of the liberal treatment of women by Jesus. Chapter four continues to investigate the ensuing devaluation of the feminine model of men by later generations. Phipps examines the closeness of Christ to Mary Magdalene, conjectures about their marital status, and correlates information about the gradual deification of Christ's mother, Mary.
Continence has long been a defining characteristic of Christian morality, yet Phipps repudiates Christ's role in the forming of that philosophical base. In "Sexual Renunciation in Western History" the author shows how Hellenism, Buddhism, and other ascetic philosophies have done more to define our modern Christian ethos regarding sex than did the New Testament model.
In the last chapter, "The Significance of the Topic," Phipps contextualizes the relevance of each topic explored in the book. Yet this is far from a summation. He goes on to explain how the modern Christian can appropriate the radical ideas presented in The Sexuality of Jesus into his or her thinking, thereby rejuvenating the significance and core meaning of Christ's teaching.
It is clear from the end notes--and by the clarity and succinctness of each essay--that the author's research has been thorough. Phipps' sources range from books of modern Biblical scholarship, whose topics bring to light sexuality and gender roles of the New Testament era, to ancient secular and religious texts. Periodicals such as Newsweek are supplanted beside exegeted Biblical passages. Philosophers from Buddha to Plato to Kierkegaard are examined.
Phipps' reasoning and his language are simple and intelligent. This book could easily hold the casual reader's interest, yet could also be used for serious inquiry. Much is done within the 250 pages of The Sexuality of Jesus to explain the modern paradigm that drives Christians' treatment of sex, to humanize Christ, and to make accessible the ideal humanity that Christ exemplifies.
Biblical Exegesis: A Beginners Handbook is a well written and informative book intended to provide its readers with a firm foundation in the multi dimensional discipline of exegesis. Authors John H. Hayes, professor of Old Testament at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and Carl R Holladay, associate professor of New Testament, also at Candler lay out a very organized investigation into how different forms of exegesis are approached. They not only give the beginning exegete an explanation of, and a guide to these different forms, they provide a logical starting place for the investigation into a text, and an extensive bibliography in each form for those who would like to further their studies.
The authors introduce the work by clearly explaining what exegesis is. They give the etymology- from the Greek word exegeomai, to lead out of- and use examples from everyday life to show the reader that he or she is engaged in exegesis all the time. This method of introduction sets a comfortable tone that leads the reader into a feeling of confidence that he or she will be able to understand and to do exegesis. Gradually they shift into more technical language and lead the reader through further explanations and examples of the complexities involved in interpreting the meaning of texts.
Hayes and Holladay use a logical and methodical structure for the information they offer. Each chapter looks at a different form of criticism used in exegesis. The authors carefully exposit its history, its methodology, and its applications, and as mentioned before, provide an extensive bibliography of additional resources at the end of each chapter. The forms of criticism these scholars outline are as follows:
| 1. Textual Criticism: The Search for Original Wording |
| 2. Historical Criticism: The Setting in Time and Space |
| 3. Grammatical Criticism: The Language of the Text |
| 4. Literary Criticism: The Composition and Rhetorical Style of the Text |
| 5. Form Criticism: The Genre and Life Setting of the Text |
| 6. Tradition Criticism: The Stages Behind the Text |
| 7. Redaction Criticism: The Final Viewpoint of Theology |
| 8. Structuralist Criticism: The Universals of the Text. |
| 9. Canonical Criticism: The Sacred Text of Synagogue and Church |
Each of these chapters provide invaluable information for understanding and employing these various forms of criticism in doing exegetical work.
The final two chapters of the book instruct the reader on how to integrate and work with these exegetical procedures, pulling them all together for use in four different applications which they name as; Historical and Archeological Reconstruction, Doing Theology, Proclamation, and Personal Appropriation.
This is a well written, thorough, and very useful book for the beginning student of Biblical exegesis. The materiel is presented in an orderly manner that assists the reader in comprehending the exegetical task, and in understanding the layers upon layers of meaning that can be led out of a text. Anyone beginning the process of learning exegesis will benefit from this book, as will those who already have some experience. This is a good handbook that should prove useful over time for theology students, pastors, as well as interested lay persons who want to deepen their understanding of Biblical texts.
This book was written by a Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco. It is part of the New Testament Series in Guides to Biblical Scholarship. That series is targeted primarily for students of Theology, but probably would interest scholars of that discipline also, if only for its extensive references to other work being done in the field and a very thorough Bibliography.
The thesis of the book is to explain what social-science criticism is, and how it fits in the Historical Critical realm of Biblical Interpretation. Elliott tells us on p. 70 that the general objective of this type of criticism is "the analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of the social as well as literary and ideological (theological) dimensions of a text, the correlation of these textual features, and the manner in which it was designed as a persuasive vehicle of communication and social interaction".
After a forward and introduction in which Elliott explains the way the book is to be presented, there are seven chapters which compose the main text, followed by four appendixes , a glossary, list of abbreviations and two Bibliographies; one on the critical aspect, the second on Social Sciences. An interesting feature in Appendix 2 was a Data Inventory for Synchronic Social Analysis, while Appendix 3 did the same using Diachronic Social Analysis.
The "meat" of this book is Elliott’s analysis of 1 Peter as an example of social-scientific criticism. Here, as elsewhere in the book, Elliott makes reference OFTEN to any number of other works available, including his own, and also by such other well-known authors such as Gerd Theisson, Dennis Duling and Bruce Malina. He does not refer to the Greek text with regard to perceptual problems, but does rely heavily on historical sources, mostly outside the Bible.
I found this book to be relatively straightforward, though Elliott’s use of graphs and charts did not really engage me. The most beneficial part of the book for my understanding was a delineation of what the different type of criticism focus on. He says on p.90 that: "Historical criticism concentrates on events, while Literary Criticism concentrates on literary texts. Social-scientific criticism concentrates on social structures, processes, and interactions. Theological criticism concentrates on religious and dogmatic belief and practice."
I think any seminary student or serious student of the Bible could take something away from this book, as, indeed, was its purpose in being formatted as one in a series of guides to Biblical Scholarship.
The Print’s First Kiss, was written by Jeffrey Lloyd Staley in 1985 as his doctoral dissertation at Graduate Theological Union. Staley wants to evoke issues related to writing and print for anyone who is involved in exegesis of Biblical narrative. He seeks appropriate models from reader Response Criticism and in particular, he seeks to "enunciate the rhetorical significance of sequence in Johannine narrative as a constituent element in the formation of its implied reader (Staley 1988, 19)."
Staley contains his thesis within five chapters and an introduction. The introduction explains the effect media technology has had on our interpretation of the Bible. Staley tells the reader how the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century allowed for the spread of scripture to the laity and not just the clergy and biblical scholars. As the Christian population at large was encouraged to internalize Scripture, they also internalized print. Staley suggests that this internalization of print has altered our conception of and relationship to the biblical text.
Chapter 1 discusses the theoretical context, Reader Response Criticism, of this thesis. Staley gives an overview of the literature in this area concerning the Synoptic Gospels as well as the Johannine narrative and finds them lacking. The reader is then in formed how he intends to deal with this issue in the Johannine narrative.
In Chapter 2, Staley explains the communication model he uses in this thesis. He discusses real authors and readers and how they differ from implied authors and readers as well as explaining the use of narrators and the narratees.
In Chapter 3, Staley discusses the prologue of the fourth Gospel in terms of rhetorical strategies: the use of repetition, plot development, and the formation of the implied reader. He goes on to instruct how this concentric structure, plot development, implied reader formation is applied to the four ministry tours made by Jesus in the Johannine Gospel.
Chapter 4 deals with rhetorical strategies in John 1:19- 3.36.Staley reviews the focalization order, levels of discourse, and the formation of the implied reader as he finds them in the temporal frame of this first week and finally in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.
Chapter5 deals with the rhetorical strategies in John 4-21. It is basically a discussion of the victimization of the implied reader as Staley views it.
Jeffrey Lloyd Staley is concerned about the rhetorical impact of narrative medium will have upon narrative audience. He wonders whether or not media changes will be "able to evoke new life from ancient narratives without destroying their peculiar worlds (Staley 1988, 122)."
Staley uses articles from such journals a JAAR and JOR and presents arguments from many New Testament scholars such as Birger Olsson, Gerard Gennette, Culpepper, and Umberto Eco to name a few.
I really enjoyed reading this dissertation. It presented interesting ideas concerning the effects that our modern day communication technologies have on scripture interpretation in a way that was easy to understand. It enlarged my understanding in this area. Becoming aware of the various different readers and authors as well as the role of the narrator and narratee, has opened up a whole new perspective for me to use to explore scripture. My only struggle was reading the small print. Perhaps people with better eyesight than I have, would not be bothered by this detail. Larger print would have made the reading experience much more enjoyable.
Consequently, anyone involved in exegesis of John’s Gospel would find this thesis interesting and helpful.
I found Exegetical Method: A Student¹s Handbook to be very
useful in outlining the steps to produce an Exegetical paper. The book is
arranged in two parts. The first part is written by Otto Kaiser and
describes the use of Exegetical methods to examine Old Testament texts and make
use of it for us today. The second half of the book is written by Werner
G. Kummel and carefully outlines the process of Exegeting a New Testament
passage. Much of what this text outlined mirrored things I learned in
class with Dr. Trobisch making this book a perfect companion to this course.
In his section on Old Testament Exegesis, Kaiser stresses reading the text
out loud several times to get a deeper understanding of the text. He
clearly outlines the steps for textual criticism, suggesting that we look deeply
at a variety of versions available to us examining parallels and searching for a
³correct² reading. Kaiser also explains that the use of Literary
criticism is vital to discerning the entire purpose of the text. According
to him tracing the train of thought and examining the passage in the context of
what proceeds and follows it is vital to the understanding of an Old Testament
passage.
Form Criticism and Tradition Criticism are equally valuable in this
process and the author does a good job of outlining this process for us.
In this process the author explains that we look for the ³sitz im Leben²
or situation in life, keeping in mind that we must interpret the text in
relation to it¹s context in life. Finally Kaiser explains the need
for subject, context and content exegesis. Giving a step by step outline
this author helps us to examine the process of Old Testament Exegesis in
workable way.
The second half of the book is devoted to New Testament Exegesis. In
his part Kummel suggests that we must start by knowing what we want to do.
He states that we can either look at the text in the context of history or
we can look at the text more scientifically to discern the meaning of a passage
personally. I found this description helpful in outlining a purpose for
exegetical work. Once we know where we are going with this work we can
begin again with textual criticism and discern the oldest versions of the text.
Kummel discusses the use of the Nestle-Aland, Greek English New
Testament in completing this task.
Once we have determined the oldest version it is Kummel suggests that we
develop a linguistic understanding of the text. Having a deeper more
complete understanding of ambiguous vocabulary is essential to fully
understanding a New Testament passage.
Next the author suggests that we explore the questions and concerns about
the text keeping in mind what is and is not absolute within a passage or text.
Once we have gathered information to fully understand the text then we
proceed by looking deeper and deeper within the text as Kummel describes.
I found the outline of resources for exegetical work and the two
exegetical works at the end of the book to be very valuable in helping me to get
a complete understanding of the exegetical method. I think that the
use of two authors to describe the similar process was helpful in giving a well
rounded idea of how the exegetical process works. I would recommend this
book to any reader who wishes to have a better understanding of how to read and
understand both the Old and New Testament.
Author and Audience
Bruce M. Metzger is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language
and Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton Theological Seminary. He
has authored several books on the text and literature of the New Testament and
served as member of the RSV Bible Committee, the International Greek New
Testament Project, and the Board of Managers of the American Bible Society.
Metzger wrote this book in Princeton, New Jersey in the early 1960’s—it was
first published in 1964. His audience is the student of textual criticism.
Thesis
Metzger’s (1992) stated purpose is "to supply the student with information concerning both the science and the art of textual criticism as applied to the New Testament" (Preface). He structures his book in three parts: In the first and second parts, he covers the science, the materials for the textual criticism of the New Testament and the history of New Testament textual criticism as reflected in printed editions of the Greek Testament. Finally, the third part covers the art, the application of textual criticism to the text of the New Testament.
Evidence Evaluated
In Part I, Metzger describes the making of ancient books in fascinating detail. The same can be said of his treatment of the important witnesses to the text of the New Testament. Here he does not simply list the great papyri, uncial, and miniscule manuscripts but relates, often in great detail, the stories of their discovery. Ancient versions and patristic quotations from the New Testament are also covered.
Part II, "The History of New Testament Textual Criticism as Reflected in Printed Editions of the Greek Testament," begins by tracing the origin and dominance of the Textus Receptus, what we now refer to as the Majority/Byzantine/Koine text. It continues with the contributions of key scholars, including Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, Von Soden, and Nestle.
Part III covers the application of textual criticism to the text of the New Testament. First, Metzger traces the origin of textual criticism as a scholarly discipline and then takes the reader into the modern era. Included here are recension and emendation, the genealogical and statistical methods of textual criticism, methods of determining family relationships among manuscripts, and conjectural emendation. The author’s description of the possible causes of error in the text is again, detailed and fascinating. When the reader arrives at "The Practice of New Testament Textual Criticism," Metzger presents his basic instructions for evaluating variant texts, followed by several interesting examples of variants from the Greek.
I read the 3rd enlarged edition of this book, which has additional notes from the 2nd 1968 edition as well as a more extensive appendix from the 1992 3rd enlarged edition citing, "Advances in Textual Criticism of the New Testament, 1964-1990."
Response
I found this book fascinating, accessible, and very worthwhile. It is not "light-weight" by any means, but Metzer’s style and his inclusion of such rich detail make for a most enjoyable reading experience. As I have read a good portion of Aland and Aland’s The Text of the New Testament, I cannot help but draw some comparisons. Both are "must-reads" for the student of textual criticism, in my opinion, but Metzger’s is more readable. However, I have found myself using Aland and Aland as a reference more frequently.
The revised and updated 3rd edition of Douglas Stuart’s Old Testament Exegesis was one of the texts required and used in the Biblical Narrative course (BS1501) at BTS fall term 2003. It is a text that has been in print for over 20 years (first published in 1980) and was referred to as "a classic" by a BTS faculty member.
Stuart is Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (So. Hamilton, MA) and Senior Pastor at First Church Congregational in Boxford, MA. As he notes in the preface, this primer is not intended for advanced scholars or those experienced in the process of exegesis. It is intended as a "handbook for reference", which he has tried to make "non-technical and simple without being simplistic…" for students and pastors engaged in exegetical work. Although I think he wrote first for readers with a least some rudimentary knowledge of Hebrew, he allows that those with no knowledge of Hebrew (like me) can also make effective use of this guide.
The book is divided into four main chapters, each of which is divided and organized around the twelve elements that, according Stuart, comprise a thorough exegesis. Thetwelve elements are: Text, Translation, Historical Context, Literary Context, Form, Structure, Grammatical Data, Lexical Data, Biblical Context, Theology, Secondary Literature and Application.
In Chapter I ("Guide for Full Exegesis"), each exegetical element is discussed with pointers, hints and questions to help move the reader through the exegetical process (A process which Stuart candidly and humorously points out in his Introduction "…can be quite dull.").
Stuart uses Chapter II ("Exegesis and the Original Text") to demonstrate the process and give some examples with a variety of passages. In an example of reconstructing the text (Section 2.1.3), he notes a disparity between the Hebrew and Greek texts in I Samuel 8:16 in which the Hebrew version refers to "choice young men" while the Greek text reads "choice cattle" instead. Stuart works backward translating the Greek to the Hebrew (the original wording), then compares the written Hebrew words for young men and cattle and then analyzes the context. And here, since male and female slaves have already been mentioned and make a logical pair, it would follow that "cattle" rather than "young men" would make a more logical pairing with the subsequent mention of "donkeys".
In Chapter III ("Short Guide for Sermon Exegesis"), even as Stuart notes the distinction between scholarly exegetical research and the exegetical skills necessary for effective preaching, he insists that good preaching should still be crafted around good scholarship. He lays out a condensed version of Chapter I on how to effectively apply exegetical tools to sermon preparation, including a recommended amount of time to allow for each step.
Chapter IV ("Exegesis Aids and Resources") offers an extensive (over 70 pages) list of "helps and bibliographical referrals" (i.e. books) presented in the same outline headings established in the first chapter.
The last few pages hold the index, an index of scripture passages, "A List of Common Old Testament Exegesis Terms (a glossary, sort of) and concludes with "A List of Frequent Hermeneutical Errors" which I found to be some of the most interesting reading in this book. [Example: Universalizing: Assuming that something unique or uncommon in the Bible applies to everyone equally. ("We all have our Gethsemanes.")].
The one (slight) drawback I encountered in using this book came on occasions when I attempted to refer to a section by quickly "thumbing" through the pages while scanning the outline numbers. Since the different outline sections have the same numbers from chapter to chapter (Ex: Section 6.1 is titled "Outline the Passage" in Chapter I, "Analyzing structure and unity" in Chapter II and "List the life issues in the passage" in Chapter III.), I often found myself turning to a section other than the one I intended and then having to return to the table of contents to locate the right section. Also, not all of the outline headings are given at the top of an odd numbered page (Ex: "Literary Context" in Chapter I and "Secondary Literature" in Chapter II).
Except for these very minor hitches, I found this a very readable and useful book and one that is probably a worthy addition to the library of the students and (future) pastors Stuart intended to help.
Author and Audience
Written by Gordon D. Fee, Professor of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, this newly revised edition is an update of text originally created as a companion volume to Douglas Stuart’s Old Testament Exegesis, also published by Westminster Press. Written for those who are new to the exegetical process, it is intended to be used as a guide while engaging in exegesis.
Thesis and Structure
Originally produced when there was a dearth of material to guide a new student through the exegetical process, Fee carefully defines his use of exegesis to mean "the historical investigation into the meaning of the biblical text." This separated his work from the courses of that day which included exegesis within the framework of other offerings. It also clearly places the emphasis upon the dual focus of this book: learning the exegetical process through the historical perspective and then, as he states further into the introduction, applying what one has learned in a meaningful way to life today.
Laid out as a working guide, New Testament Exegesis takes the student new to the exegetical process in a step-by-step manner through whatever passage they are working on. Divided into four major content areas (Guide for Full Exegesis, Exegesis and the Original Text, Short Guide for Sermon Exegesis, and Aids and Resources for the Steps in Exegesis), each unit is designed to interact with the other units. The book starts out with an overview of the exegetical process in Unit 1 and then develops the steps of that process in depth in Unit 2. Units 3 and 4 provide additional information for sermon writing and resources. The text is an explanation of the meaning of each step that is involved in the exegetical process.
Evidence Evaluated
The emphasis of this book is on the historical investigation of the text. Fee states in the introduction that the task in front of the student is to come to understand what the biblical author said, why he said it and what did the biblical author intend his listeners to know? That goal is achieved by a thorough investigation of the original text and an investigation into the historical/cultural context of the text. Fee suggests that the student should have at the least a working knowledge of the Greek alphabet.
Response
I think that I will find this text to be a useful tool as I study the New Testament. Fee writes in a straight-forward manner. He builds in his explanations as he moves through the material. He provides additional references for areas that his text does not cover. He gives useful illustrations for the points he makes.
Fee presumes a working knowledge of the basic terms of exegesis and so refers students to other books (like Metzger’s The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration) for "the matters involved in this discipline." I would agree that as someone new to exegesis, I will want a text that provides me with the vocabulary of the discipline and some of the background information, as Metzger does. This book was written for students and pastors. New students will benefit most. More experienced students may pick up some additional ideas about the exegetical process. Pastors will benefit from the bridge between coming to understand the original text in its original context and how that text speaks today.
Author: At the time of writing the book Gordon Fee was a professor of New Testament at Regent College. He has written several books related to understanding the Bible better. He indicates he taught himself to do exegesis, and wrote the book because there was not a simple step-by-step handbook available for pastors and students to use in learning to do exegesis.
Audience: The intended audience is pastors and ministerial students who want to deepen their understanding of the Bible. In this book, exegesis is seen as an important step in sermon preparation and helpful for spiritual growth, as well as a scholarly activity. Knowledge of Greek is extremely helpful in using this book, but those without such knowledge can utilize the book, especially if they know the Greek alphabet sufficiently to look up words in a lexicon.
Thesis: The thesis of this book is that a manual can be created which will enable students and pastors to go through the step-by-step process of doing Biblical exegesis.
Structure: The book is structured according to the steps one follows in doing exegesis, and it appears as if Fee intends the student or pastor to have the Bible in one hand, his text in the other, and various resources like Aland, a Greek English dictionary, a Synopsis, and other resources on the desk. Topics in the book include such steps as getting an overview of the historical context, deciding on the limits of the passage, analyzing variants, making a tentative translation, analyzing sentence structure, analyzing grammar, considering alternative translations for key words, and examining special issues related to genre. For example, in analyzing an Epistle, one must determine the intended recipient, the author, the circumstances, and why the author is writing at that point in time. Also, epistles tend to have a well-organized flow supporting some particular argument, so the individual passage must be looked at in terms of how it fits into the overall argument.
Fee goes into detail on some techniques of exegesis, such as recommending comparing the same Biblical pericope in other Synoptic parallels by underlining identical words versus changed or rearranged wordings. Although he describes how to do this in color, the book itself is in black and white making it more difficult to follow. He also indicates that where a Gospel writer places a story in his Gospel helps you see his perspective.
The last section of Fee’s book is on sermon preparation. It is very concrete, such as telling prospective pastors the minimum amount of time they need to spend on the various steps of sermon preparation. Fee also anticipates some of the pitfalls and ego trips of being a pastor, such as wanting to show off one’s exegetical prowess so much that one forgets the point of a sermon is to lead the congregation in learning and worship, not write a seminary paper.
Evidence: Fee gives concrete examples of the techniques he is describing: sentence flow diagrams in both Greek and English, examples of Greek words where differences in translation are very important, and examples of how to analyze differences between synoptic Gospels regarding the same pericope. His book contains a broad survey of techniques described succinctly. Thus, he has accomplished his goal of developing a step-by-step manual on how to do exegesis.
Response: What I like about this book is that he doesn’t lose the forest for the trees. The author is balanced, uses colorful language, and appears to have the heart of a believer and a pastor. For example, he says, "The sermon, as an act of obedience and worship, ought not to wrap shoddy scholarship in a cloak of ferverency. Let your sermon be exciting, but let it be in every way faithful to God’s revelation."(p.117) On the other hand, he warns us to avoid sermons, which are pure scholarship without application and therefore bore the congregation, and warns us to " overcome the urge to parade your exegesis and thus appear as the local guru."(P.119).
On the negative side, the book focuses solely on the mechanics of exegesis and did not have the space to give examples of the theologically significant issues that might be discovered. For example, Fee demonstrated the same underlining technique we used to examined how Mathew simplified the miracle stories compared to Mark, but did not discuss how such simplification helped focus on Jesus divine power.
Another challenge in the reading was that the topic of exegesis seems inherently dry and difficult to follow when presented only in a book with no teacher to explain it or liven up the learning process with exercises and discussion. This was especially true for such topics as diagramming sentence flow describing some codes from Aland, or mentioning that grammatical issues like the type of genitive can make a difference. The student with no background in Greek and who is rusty on English grammar is likely to feel lost on such subject. It is for this reason that I feel to really understand the book it needs to be used with an instructor, although it certainly would be helpful to the pastor who does not otherwise have such help available.
Fortunately, I feel Fee recognizes that the task is challenging, and comments humorously that exegetical techniques may seem stiff and artificial "like the experience of a Pentecostal trying to worship in a liturgical church."(p.51). It is such humor and vivid language which helps me appreciate him as a human being and believer even if I sometimes struggle to stay focused on some of the material. Such colorful, humorous language was my favorite part of the book.
The other thing that I really liked was the section on sermon preparation because it made me look forward to writing sermons and warned me of pitfalls. I liked that it was concrete in such areas as saying how much time was needed for each step.
I feel that the people who would benefit most from this book are students and pastors who already have some knowledge of Greek/Greek tools, and ideally that this book should be used together with an instructor.
Author and Audience
Mark Allan Powell is an Assistant Professor of New Testament and Director of Continuing and Post-Graduate Studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
Professor Powell’s book, one of a series of Biblical Scholarship studies published by Fortress Press, which also includes writings on form criticism, textual criticism, and redaction criticism, (all forms of historical criticism) addresses the principles and procedures of narrative criticism. The book is meant as an introduction to narrative criticism for the seminary student and to offer an alternative approach to reading, interpreting and studying Biblical literature.
Thesis
Powell’s argument is: the Bible’s literary qualities have not been a subject for investigation and the field of biblical criticism has no methodology for circumventing the acts of reading or hearing the text. Of the different literary criticisms that have been available, such as form criticism, textual criticism, and redaction criticism, all fall short for various reasons given. Powell’s answer is to use the process of narrative criticism. Powell’s process to convince the reader of this approach consists of chapters entitled: Scripture as Story, Ways of Reading (which examines the various forms of criticism), Story and Discourse, Events, Characters, Settings, and Story as Scripture.
These chapters are brought to life by Powell’s examination of various scripture readings and the different results in understanding and interpretation by using the various critical approaches.
Response
What I found to be most useful was in the Appendix of the book where Powell has provided a useful outline to apply narrative criticism in Exegesis. Powell’s procedure starts with examining the events, followed by characters, then settings and lastly, arriving at overall interpretation.
At the beginning of the book I struggled with some of the concepts and different literary criticisms being discussed. But Powell overcame this in later chapters through his use of Biblical readings and how the process of narrative criticism brought a deeper and clearer understanding of the Bible as literature. Not a two thumbs up book, but at least one and a half. Recommended for theology students.
Author and Audience
William D. Thompson is professor of preaching at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
This book is an addition to the Abingdon Preacher’s Library volumes written to enable preachers and seminary students to understand preaching in its historical setting; to examine its biblical and theological underpinnings; to explore its spiritual, relational, and liturgical dimensions; and to develop insights into its craft. This book is designed primarily for the seminary classroom and for the practicing preacher who is seeking a solid and fresh approach to biblical preaching.
Thesis
To preach biblically, preachers have to know how to understand and interpret the Bible. Thompson’s procedure is to first provide a brief definition of biblical preaching and then he spells out the fundaments of biblical exegesis. Next, he sets forth some of the basic principles of interpretation. Finally, he provides a methodology that is simple enough to construct an authentically biblical sermon. Thompson concludes with an actual case study, which shows how a specific biblical text, using these techniques, can be developed into a sermon.
Evidence Evaluated
Thompson begins his book with the cry from many people in modern society for preaching that is truly biblical. With all of the contemporary problems, people are demanding to hear a message from the pulpit that can be heard as the authentic word of God who is revealed in the pages of the scriptures. Thompson defines biblical preaching as occurring when listeners are enabled to see their world, like the biblical world, addressed by the word of God and are able to respond to that word. In order for preaching to be biblical, the preacher needs to focus on the sermon preparation of biblical exegesis and interpretation.
Exegesis is a transliterated Greek word meaning "to bring out something." In the biblical context it tries to deal with the questions clustering around a concern for what the biblical writer meant and how the meaning was understood by those who first heard it. When we as preachers are exegeting the scriptures, one purpose, according to Thompson, is searching for our own identity. The other purpose is to search for our future and the sense of direction as what God may do and what we should do. Thompson gives various exercises on exegeting and cites resources.
After reconstructing the meaning of the biblical text as to how it might have been understood by the original reader and subsequent generations by exegesis, Thompson next turns his attention to the preacher’s task of interpretation. By this he means to interpret so that the "past comes alive and illuminates our present." He lists and discusses 10 basic principles to help the preacher arrive at conclusions about the text meanings. The intention of the principles is to move the hearing of the sermon from what the Bible said to what the Bible says, and how this is now relevant to us today.
Thompson concludes with an actual case study, which shows how a specific text is prepared for biblical preaching using the methods of exegesis and interpretation.
Response
This is an excellent book for a seminary student. What I particularly appreciated about the book is the way Thompson carefully and simply explains what exegesis is. So often it is assumed the reader knows the definition and the role of exegesis in biblical research. Thompson doesn’t assume this. He clearly describes it and discusses the role of exegesis and its relevance in preparation for biblical sermons. His discussion and examples of text interpretation based on the exegesis will be beneficial for any seminary student and preacher wanting to preach more biblically.
The book was published in 1981 and the case studies were somewhat outdated. For example, one case study was the anxiety about the threat of World War III. However, these case studies could easily be reworked by the reader into contemporary anxieties such as the threat of terrorism.
Go back to www.bts.edu/trobisch