What are some good suggestions for learning proper hermeneutics? I've read Sproul's' "Knowing Scripture" already so I'm looking to go a bit deeper. Thanks.

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~Greg Carpenter~
Deerfield Beach, FL

"It is a throne of grace that God in Christ is represented to us upon; but yet it is a throne still whereon majesty and glory do reside, and God is always to be considered by us as on a throne." –John Owen

I always reccomend "How to Read the Bible For All It's Worth" Fee/Stuart as a starter. Fee is Charismatic but the book is very helpful. "Exegetical Fallacies" Carson is also a must read.

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Bruce
PCUSA
Ocean City NJ

Whilst not a scientific and technical approach, I personally believe A W Pink's "Interpretation of the Scriptures" has a great deal to offer. You will find it at:

Interpretation of the Scriptures

Also, a work that Spurgeon recommended by a predecessor of his at the Metropolitan Tabernacle- Dr Joseph Angus' Bible Handbook has a very helpful section (from page 150) and you will find the pdf download at:

Here

Trust that this helps.

I have chosen the older books because I do believe that there is a tremendous downgrade in modern hermeneutics. You can hear more about this New Evangelical Downgrade in 2 messages by Dr Peter Master at:

SermonAudio.com - Search Results

PS. For a more technical approach any work by Patrick Fairbairn- e.g his hermeneutical manual, prophecy, typology etc. are excellent

Hermeneutical Manual at Internet Archive: Details: Hermeneutical manual or, Introduction to the exegetical study of the Scriptures of the New Testament

Typology vol 1 of 2 Internet Archive: Details: The typology of Scripture : viewed in connection with the whole series of the divine dispensations
vol 2 of 2 Internet Archive: Details: The typology of scripture : viewed in connection with the whole series of the divine dispensations

Revelation of law in Scripture at Internet Archive: Details: The revelation of law in Scripture, considered with respect both to its own nature, and to its relative place in successive dispensations

I cannot see his work on prophecy online.

Finally there was a remarkably helpful little book by Lisco on the parables which was reissued by Fairbairn and you can find it at:

The Parables of Jesus - Google Book Search

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Satch Chikhlia, Reformed Baptist, Surrey, England

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Colossians 3.1

http://www.book-academy.co.uk For FREE downloadable pdf commentaries recommended by C.H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon's works, and Great Puritan works.

I think that the Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation, edited by Moises Silva, is absolutely superb.

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Rev. Lane Keister
Teaching Elder, PCA, North Dakota (working out of bounds in a CRC and an RCA church)
http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com
http://brahmsgreenglove.blogspot.com
http://accenttranslation.blogspot.com

@Zadok
the audio message was very good thank you.

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Frank
member/Reformed Baptist Church, NJ
1689 BCF
Technician in NewYork
Titus 2:13
...looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus...

Vanhoozer.
Is sensitive to postmodern critiques of Enlightenment but doesn't buy into the pomo scheme.

Amazon.com: Is There a Meaning in This Text?:...

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

I found Berkhof's Principles of Biblical Interpretation very useful.

Amazon.com: Principles of Biblical...

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Ryan Barnhart - Pastor of OGBC
Husband to a beautiful wife, Father to two beautiful girls
"But by the grace of God I am what I am." I Corinthians 15:10

"I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms. And in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer." - John Paton

Hi:

Grant Osborne's, The Heremeneutical Spiral is the classic text.

Blessings,

-CH

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In Essentials Unity, in non-Essentials Liberty, in all things Charity.

Robert Paul Wieland
Springs Reformed Presbyterian Church
Colorado Springs, CO
RPCNA

I've never read it, but have been concerned about it given the fact that he's a firmly-committed Arminian...

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://semperubi.rtrc.net

"Many men, after a long conversion, see more of the workings of sin in their hearts than ever they did before or at their first conversion. Now, such men have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light" (Christopher Love)

0swald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969. This book takes aim at the hermeneutics of dispensationalism and is a classic of Reformed writing.

James Barr, The Semantics of Biblical Language. London: Oxford University Press, 1961. Moises Silva had me read this back in the 70s in college. Barr critiques unsound linguistic principles of the neo-orthodox "Biblical theology" school and the use of illegitimate totality transfer of meaning. He is good on showing what was wrong with the early volumes of the TDNT masterpiece by Kittel et. al.

Louis Berkhof, Principles of Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1950. A reliable, if somewhat uninspiring Reformed text. This one is availble from Doxa software real cheap.

Gerald Bray, Biblical Interpretation Past and Present. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1996. 608 pages. What a great detailed survey of the history and scope of biblical interpretation over the ages. This is a must read from an evangelical perspective. He covers the history AND offers little bio pieces on major figures.

Donald A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984. Don Carson has been my favorite exegete for some time. This one deals with many of the grammatical, logical, and historical fallacies. My favorite is his debunking of the "where two or three are gathered" misuse of scripture.

Millard J. Erickson, Evangelical Interpretation: Perspectives on Hermeneutical Issues. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993. This one is not a beginner's text. It deals with special issues and the kinds of problems Jacob loves to deal with in the PB. I especially appreciated the discussion of the principle of "authorial intent." Erickson raises evangelical doubts about the consistent use of the principle in terms of the OT, in light of the typological exegesis practiced in the New Testament.

Patrick Fairbairn, The Typology of Scripture: Viewed in Connection with the Whole Series of the Divine Dispensations. 5th ed. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1870. 2 vols. Reprinted Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1989. A major treatise on typological interpretation. Old, but vintage. Fairbairn exercised monumental scholarship. And, you can find it in PDF form on the net.

Patrick Fairbairn, Hermeneutical Manual: or, Introduction to the Exegetical Study of the Scriptures of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1858.

Gordon D. Fee, New Testament exegesis: a handbook for students and pastors. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993. A guide for New Testament historical-critical exegesis written for students who know Greek, but with much of the guide accessible to students without knowledge of Greek. Don't let the Assembies of God author scare you off of this one. Fee is a fine exegete and a reliable guide, even if you don't agree with everything.

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993. 265 pages. Actually they have a new edition out now. It takes a popular tact in moving from interpretation to application. The authors tend to be evangelical feminists.

Norman L. Geisler, Explaining Hermeneutics: A Commentary on the Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics. Oakland, California: International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, 1983. OK, OK, I know what he thinks about Calvinism. But, it is still worth reading.

E.D. Hirsch Jr., Validity in Interpretation. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967. An introduction to general hermeneutics (principles that apply to the interpretation of any work of literature) as distinguished from the "special" hermeneutics of Biblical studies. While Hirsch is not a biblical scholar, the principles are quite important, especially with respect to authorial intent.

Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979. Here is where you get to beat up on us historical pre-mills from the standpoint of Calvinistic amillennialism.

Walter C. Kaiser, Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981.

Walter C. Kaiser and Moisés Silva, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. 302 pages. ISBN: 0310530903. Some reviews have found it more interestng than informative. My old prof, Moises Silva was my first Calvinist teacher. He has a great chapter on Calvinistic Hermeneutics (chapter 14). It stands opposed to the "neutral" inductive approach and admits that "proper exegesis should be informed by theological reflection. To put it in the most shocking way possible: my theological system should tell me how to exegete" (p. 261).

Walter C. Kaiser, The Uses of the Old Testament in the New. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985. ISBN: 0802490859. I don't always agree with Kaiser, but appeciate his writings greatly. His handling of senus plenior is of note.

William W. Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1993. This has also appeared in an updated form (I'm just too lazy to go get the latest biblio info out of my library). It is a VERY comprehensive and well-organized introduction, intended for evangelicals. Don't confuse "evangelical" with conservative. They adopt redaction criticism, allow for some use of liberation theology, and take a variety of controversial stands. It is a goldmine, however.

V. Philips Long, Tremper Longman III, Moises Silva, and Vern Sheridan Poythress. Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation. Six volumes in one. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. 668 pages. ISBN: 0310208289. One of my former profs and a current big gun at my college alma mater offer a discussion of linguistics, literary studies, science, and theology as they impinge upon contemporary hermeneutics.

Robertson McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the Bible. Revised ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1992. This one will give you a simple beginning approach.

A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963. 425 pages. A comprehensive presentation of hermeneutics, it has been supplanted by Hubbard and Klein. Mickelsen and his wife were strong egalitarians, although this does not appear to impact this book very much.

Roger Nicole, "New Testament Use of the Old Testament," in Revelation and the Bible: Contemporary Evangelical Thought, ed. by Carl F.H. Henry (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958), pp. 135-51. It can be found in one of the Ages Software PDF collections "Contemporary Evangelical Thought").

Grant R. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1991. 499 pages. Osborne writes for the seminarian and deals with sermon prep too. Some of his presuppositions are not too agreeable for PB readers.

James I. Packer, "In Quest of Canonical Interpretation" in Robert K. Johnston, ed., The Use of the Bible in Theology: Evangelical Options. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1985.

James I. Packer, "Infallible Scripture and the Role of Hermeneutics," in Scripture and Truth, ed. by D.A. Carson and J.D. Woodbridge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983.

Earl D. Radmacher and Robert D. Preus, eds. Hermeneutics, Inerrancy and the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984. 921 pages. This collection of nearly 50 papers presented at the 1982 International Council on Biblical Inerrancy conference in Chicago is quite worthwhile, including the appendices.

Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics for Conservative Protestants. Chicago: Moody Press, 1953. 2nd ed. 1957. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1970. American Baptist Ramm started out conservative and kept moving left. I remember taking a lay course from him on the creeds back in the 60s when I was a sophomore in high school.

Moisés Silva, Biblical Words and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Lexical Semantics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983.

Moisés Silva, God, Language, and Scripture: Reading the Bible in the light of general linguistics. Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation 4. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990.

Moisés Silva, "Has the Church Misread the Bible? The history of interpretation in the light of current issues." Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation 1. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987. Everything my old teacher writes is worth reading! My wife had Moises for her two years of Greek.

R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1977. 125 pages. You already mentioned this one. It is, as all of his writings are, easy-to-read and practical in its handling of interpretation from a Reformed perspective.

Douglas K. Stuart, Old Testament Exegesis: a Primer for Students and Pastors. 2nd ed., revised and enlarged. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1984. A step-by-step guide to OT exegesis with an emphasis on the goal of preaching and teaching in the context of the church.

Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study - A New Approach to Hermeneutics. Wilmore, Kentucky: Robert Traina, 1952. A detailed guide to inductive Bible study, by a conservative Methodist. Pretty boring but still helpful for the inductive method.

Henry A. Virkler, Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981. 263 pages. This is quite simple but VERY helpful to get you thinking about the issues facing the interpreter. I would begin with this one.

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

I have found Berkhoff excellent in the positive sense :smile: and "Scripture Twisting" by W. Squire to be excellent in warning using negative examples.

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Scottish Reformed Baptist No.2
member,Thurso Baptist Church
Scotland

specialist subject: Creationist Genetics
interests: holiness

Bahnsen has a wonderful series on the subject.

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Dave Gray
Bayview Orthodox Presbyterian Church
San Diego, CA
www.bayviewopc.org

You might find this one of interest:

Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics: A Treatise on the Interpretation of the Old and New Testaments (Zondervan, 1974).

Terry has some problem areas, but it is all in all a fine work on the principles and history of interpretation.

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Sterling Harmon
Coventry, CT
PCA
Deacon
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"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk

Where?

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Daniel Ritchie
Saintfield, Northern Ireland - Queen's University, Belfast:History/Politics
Member of Dromara Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (Covenanter)

What are Terry's 'problems'? (I am currently reading it)

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"On land, at sea, at home, abroad, / I smoke my pipe and worship God." -- J.S. Bach

We do not have "full view" in the UK.

I know lots of Calvinists who like "Heremeneutical Spiral". I own a copy and have poked around in it some. The author doesn't give the reader a mode of interpretation so much as he equips the reader, regardless of what the reader believes, to reexamine some presuppositions about Scripture, and God for that matter.

I am currently reading Amazon.com: Meaning and Understanding: The... and loving it!

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Dan Pemberton
Vacaville, CA

Member, First Baptist Church San Luis Obispo
Formerly ABUSA (We left, so I guess that makes us American Baptists Unleashed!)

A couple of years ago Al Mohler recommended "How to Read the Bible" on his radio program. The very next day he withdrew his recommendation after learning of the new edition. I've read the new one but never the first. From what I gather, the first is the best. The new one is a little too much of a case for Biblical Feminism for me.