Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching

Rating:
Summary: An Introduction to Interpreting Scripture
Review: Many wags have said that Kaiser is always moving "toward" something, but he has never "arrived" at it yet. But his works represent good, if preliminary, studies of any subject he writes on.

Kaiser in an OT scholar, so it is not surprising his best work is found in that field. But his introduction to methodolgy is sound, if not perfect. Thorough, if not exhaustive. And it is one that ought to be examined by anyone who desires to be a serious student of the word.

There are a couple of times one would wish he had followed his own methods more carefully, one is in a foray into the NT, where he proposes a unique inerpretation of 1 Cor 14:34 that has since made D.A. Carson's "Exegetical Fallacies." But other than this rather grandiose faux pas, the rest of the work is convincing.

Rating:
Summary: An Introduction to Interpreting Scripture
Review: Many wags have said that Kaiser is always moving "toward" something, but he has never "arrived" at it yet. But his works represent good, if preliminary, studies of any subject he writes on.

Kaiser in an OT scholar, so it is not surprising his best work is found in that field. But his introduction to methodolgy is sound, if not perfect. Thorough, if not exhaustive. And it is one that ought to be examined by anyone who desires to be a serious student of the word.

There are a couple of times one would wish he had followed his own methods more carefully, one is in a foray into the NT, where he proposes a unique inerpretation of 1 Cor 14:34 that has since made D.A. Carson's "Exegetical Fallacies." But other than this rather grandiose faux pas, the rest of the work is convincing.

Rating:
Summary: Best! If you want to know what a verse means.....
Review: This is one of the best works on exegesis. Not as heavy as "The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text" but is a good pair with it. The five chapters dealing with interpreting Scripture, if followed exactly, should give the reader the exact meaning of the text of Scripture being studied. I have recomended this book to many--it is for all people who use the Bible. If you want to understand what a certain verse means, then this tool can get you there.

Corrects many false views and assumptions one brings to the text of Scripture... if only all Christians would not follow the instructions here, exactly.

Rating:
Summary: Best! If you want to know what a verse means.....
Review: This is one of the best works on exegesis. Not as heavy as "The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text" but is a good pair with it. The five chapters dealing with interpreting Scripture, if followed exactly, should give the reader the exact meaning of the text of Scripture being studied. I have recomended this book to many--it is for all people who use the Bible. If you want to understand what a certain verse means, then this tool can get you there.

Corrects many false views and assumptions one brings to the text of Scripture... if only all Christians would not follow the instructions here, exactly.

Rating:
Summary: Help on moving from the study to the pulpit
Review: Walter C. Kaiser is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. This book is partly Kaiser's response to the crisis in exegetical theology. This crisis begins with how to interrupt the Bible and extends to how one makes it relevant to today through the act of preaching . Here, Kaiser seeks to remedy the problems that exist in these areas by offering what he calls the syntactical-theological method of interpretation. He also includes some practical advice on what he calls "special issues." Kaiser ends with an encouraging chapter on the power of God.

The book is presented in two main sections. The first section, after the introduction, deals specifically with how to analyze the text of Scripture. Kaiser takes the reader through the viewing the passage contextually, syntactically, verbally, theologically, and homiletically. In each of these sections, Kaiser is attempting to help the interpreter understand the passage within the larger context of Scripture. That is, to not only understand what the text itself means, but also to understand how it fits into the sections that surround it, the book as a whole, and eventually, the entire canon. Each step that he explains to the reader is a means to this end. The second section outlines how one should handle those special issues that arise when moving from text to sermon - specifically, how one should handle prophecy, narrative, and poetic texts.

With this book, Kaiser has given the preacher a great resource. He ably walks the reader through the various ways in which individuals and groups have approached God's word and evaluates each in light the approach that he advocates in the book. Kaiser also does a good job of explaining why he interprets the way he does and how he goes about doing it. Of course, the whole book is designed to teach this method of interpretation while simultaneously helping pastors understand Scripture in way that helps him preach the text well. Probably the most helpful section of this book is found in the second half of the book. There he illustrates how to outline a passage and deals with the unique concerns of preaching from prophecy, narrative, and poetry sections of Scripture.

One critique that I have comes in Kaiser's handling of some of the Old Testament texts. One example in particular is his handling of Nehemiah (pp. 205-210). It seems that he moves too quickly to application and possibly misses the point of the text. Surely there must be more to the book of Nehemiah than advice on how to be a godly leader and deal with trouble that threatens one's leadership or the progress he is trying to make? Where is the mention of God's plan for Nehemiah and the people of Israel in his day? How does that figure into how we apply the text? While, Kaiser's reading is certainly in line with much of the popular, contemporary teaching on Nehemiah, which sees only leadership principles in its pages, I hesitate in accepting this `bare' reading of the text. This hesitation only comes in a few places, because for the most part, I agree whole-heartedly with Kaiser's approach to the Bible and the move from original message to contemporary sermon that he advocates in the rest of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Help on moving from the study from the pulpit
Review: Walter C. Kaiser is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. This book is partly Kaiser's response to the crisis in exegetical theology. This crisis begins with how to interrupt the Bible and extends to how one makes it relevant to today through the act of preaching . Here, Kaiser seeks to remedy the problems that exist in these areas by offering what he calls the syntactical-theological method of interpretation. He also includes some practical advice on what he calls "special issues." Kaiser ends with an encouraging chapter on the power of God.

The book is presented in two main sections. The first section, after the introduction, deals specifically with how to analyze the text of Scripture. Kaiser takes the reader through the viewing the passage contextually, syntactically, verbally, theologically, and homiletically. In each of these sections, Kaiser is attempting to help the interpreter understand the passage within the larger context of Scripture. That is, to not only understand what the text itself means, but also to understand how it fits into the sections that surround it, the book as a whole, and eventually, the entire canon. Each step that he explains to the reader is a means to this end. The second section outlines how one should handle those special issues that arise when moving from text to sermon - specifically, how one should handle prophecy, narrative, and poetic texts.

With this book, Kaiser has given the preacher a great resource. He ably walks the reader through the various ways in which individuals and groups have approached God's word and evaluates each in light the approach that he advocates in the book. Kaiser also does a good job of explaining why he interprets the way he does and how he goes about doing it. Of course, the whole book is designed to teach this method of interpretation while simultaneously helping pastors understand Scripture in way that helps him preach the text well. Probably the most helpful section of this book is found in the second half of the book. There he illustrates how to outline a passage and deals with the unique concerns of preaching from prophecy, narrative, and poetry sections of Scripture.

One critique that I have comes in Kaiser's handling of some of the Old Testament texts. One example in particular is his handling of Nehemiah (pp. 205-210). It seems that he moves too quickly to application and possibly misses the point of the text. Surely there must be more to the book of Nehemiah than advice on how to be a godly leader and deal with trouble that threatens one's leadership or the progress he is trying to make? Where is the mention of God's plan for Nehemiah and the people of Israel in his day? How does that figure into how we apply the text? While, Kaiser's reading is certainly in line with much of the popular, contemporary teaching on Nehemiah, which sees only leadership principles in its pages, I hesitate in accepting this 'bare' reading of the text. This hesitation only comes in a few places, because for the most part, I agree whole-heartedly with Kaiser's approach to the Bible and the move from original message to contemporary sermon that he advocates in the rest of the book.