Wisdom for faithful reading : principles and practices for Old Testament interpretation / John H. Walton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walton, John H., 1952- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible. Old Testament.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xv, 226 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Downers Grove, Illinois : IVP Academic, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, [2023]

Summary:

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. ONE 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"

pt. TWO 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

pt. THREE 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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Walton, John H., 1952- Wisdom for faithful reading

ISBN:

9781514004876

1514004879

OCLC:

1341203645

Publisher Number:

99993364812