Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics

Is the Bible just a book of ancient Israelite and Christian history and practices to be read? Or are we engaging in a more interactive practice when we study God's word? Jeannine K. Brown believes that communication is at the heart of what we do when we open the Bible, that we are actively engaging God in a conversation that can be life changing. By learning about how Scripture communicates, modern readers can extract much more meaning out of the text than they could if simply reading the Bible as though it was a list of rules or a collection of stories. In Scripture as Communication, Brown offers professors, students, church leaders, and laity a basic guide to the theory and practice of biblical interpretation, helping them understand our engagement with Scriptures as primarily a communicative act.

Jeannine K. Brown (PhD, Luther Seminary) is associate professor of New Testament and associate academic dean at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is the author of The Disciples in Narrative Perspective: The Portrayal and Function of the Matthean Disciples.

"A helpful introduction to biblical interpretation that begins in the right place--the question of the nature of the text--and stays in focus throughout. Brown's emphasis on meaning as communicative act enables her to take the best from several models of interpretation and to do justice to author, text, and reader alike. Moreover, because it strikes a judicious balance between attending to issues and particular New Testament texts, this book combines the best of both the theoretical and the practical hermeneutical worlds."-- Kevin J. Vanhoozer , Trinity Evangelical Divinity School"Jeannine Brown has proven herself to be a reliable guide for those committed to serious engagement with Christian Scripture. Complex issues are clearly explained. Controversial issues receive fair-minded treatment. Talk about interpretation is coupled with examples of interpretation. Scripture as Communication will be attractive both to students beginning the journey of biblical interpretation and to those already well on the way."-- Joel B. Green , Fuller Theological Seminary"This book contributes substantially to the current conversation within Christianity on interpretation theories and biblical hermeneutics. By grounding her communicative model in the incarnation, Brown convincingly combines truth and interpretive method, and she does so with impressive clarity and ease. Without any loss of depth, she clarifies complex ideas with the help of excellent illustrations that make this book accessible to anyone from pastors to students to experts in the field. A significant achievement!"-- Jens Zimmermann , Trinity Western University"In an engaging and conversational style, Jeannine Brown addresses the complexities of hermeneutics and explains how an understanding of those complexities can help readers develop a healthy hermeneutical self-consciousness as they read Scripture, God's communicative act. She defines important terms and addresses major hermeneutical theories, providing a realistic appraisal of hermeneutical challenges while also offering positive, practical guidelines. Above all, Brown reminds us that reading Scripture is learning to discern a communicative act initiated by God."-- Peter Enns , Eastern University"Brown has written an excellent text for hermeneutics classes that is clear and well organized and reveals a superb mastery of the material. Understanding texts as a form of communication rather than as art is a helpful correction to recent trends in interpretation."-- Robert H. Stein , Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Is the Bible just a book of ancient Israelite and Christian history and practices to be read? Or are we engaging in a more interactive practice when we study God's word? Jeannine K. Brown believes that communication is at the heart of what we do when we open the Bible, that we are actively engaging God in a conversation that can be life changing. By learning about how Scripture communicates, modern readers can extract much more meaning out of the text than they could if simply reading the Bible as though it was a list of rules or a collection of stories. In Scripture as Communication, Brown offers professors, students, church leaders, and laity a basic guide to the theory and practice of biblical interpretation, helping them understand our engagement with Scriptures as primarily a communicative act.

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