Wisdom for Faithful Reading
Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation
Author: John H. Walton
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.
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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.
Description
The church has too often lost its way in reading the Old Testament for lack of sound principles of interpretation. When careless habits get us off track, we can lose sight of what the Bible is really saying, derailing our own spiritual growth and even risking discredit to God's word.We need a consistent approach to give us confidence as faithful interpreters. In Wisdom for Faithful Reading, the trusted Old Testament scholar John Walton lays out his tried-and-true best practices developed over four decades in the classroom. His principles are memorable, practical, and enlightening, including:
- The Bible is written for us, but not to us.
- Reading the Bible instinctively is not reliable and risks imposing a foreign perspective on the text.
- More important than what the characters do is what the narrator does with the characters and what God is doing through the characters.
- Not everything has a "biblical view."
Critic Reviews
"Evangelical pastors and church leaders will appreciate John H. Walton's Wisdom for Faithful Reading. Irenic and thoughtful, Walton introduces principles for how to read the Christian Old Testament faithfully. Anyone who reads this book will come away with a better sense of how to read Scripture and an appreciation for its beauty and richness."
-- Nathan MacDonald, professor of the interpretation of Old Testament at the University of Cambridge"Those who have longed to sit in John Walton's classroom but are unable to do so need look no further. Wisdom for Faithful Reading distills over four decades of his Old Testament research and his reflection on responsible interpretation into a scholarly-yet-accessible volume. Exhibiting his trademark attention to ancient Near Eastern backgrounds, Walton argues for key interpretive principles and the importance of rhetorical strategy and genre in interpreting the Old Testament. His deep respect for biblical authority shines through as he guides teachers and pastors to responsibly interpret the Old Testament in a way that will ultimately equip the church to honor and glorify God."
-- Jennifer Brown Jones, instructor of Old Testament at Liberty UniversityAbout the Author
John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament, emeritus, at Wheaton College and Graduate School. His many books include The Lost World of Genesis One and Wisdom for Faithful Reading.
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