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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent - only surpassed by having Stein for class
Review: Being a student of Dr. Stein, I was amazed at how easy it was to read. There are many hermenutics texts available, but most are written on a higher leven than many are used to. This book was actually written so the lay person could understand it without any problems. This is an excellent text for beginning to learn how to faithfully interpret God's Word.
Rating:
Summary: Very good introduction to sound Biblical interpretation
Review: Dr. Stein's text is as good a book as he is a professor. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sound methods to Biblical interpretation. It is easy to read and very easy to understand. A very good book for lay people in the church who are looking for help in interpreting Biblical passages. Very good!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Just what it says.
Review: I am very surprised to find that some people thought this book was difficult to work through. I found Stein very clear and informative. He even defines all the terms he uses frequently so as to remove all ambiguity. Not that these terms are difficult to grasp (ie. implication, significance, subject matter). Anyone who feels comfortable reading something weightier than airport paperbacks should benefit from this work.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good and Easy to Read
Review: If you're interested in learning the basics of proper Biblical hermeneutics, this is a book for you. Stein does a good job presenting the material in an easy-to-read fashion, yet writes in a very scholarly manner. The book is divided into two sections: The first section deals with the general rules of interpretation (the first four chapters); the second section deals with how to interpret proverbs, prophecies, poetry, idioms, hyperboles, parables, narratives, epistles, covenants, laws, and songs (chapters 5-13). The book is generally geared towards the average lay person or beginner seminary student. It can be used as a technical hermeneutical aid or as a tool to assist the average believer in how to read the Bible properly during Bible studies and quiet times. Stein's book is a valuable resource that should be available in every Christian bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: This book will give you a sound foundation for biblical interpretation. It's a gold mine of information. If you can't take a formal class on the subject (and even if you can) this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Good introduction.
Review: This is a good introduction to Biblical interpretation for the layman. If you're more serious about biblical interpretation at a higher level I'd suggest first having a firm grasp of the basics presented here. My only gripe would be that it seems geared towards a younger audience. Still deserves 5 stars though.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - Some Groundwork Needed
Review: When searching for a book on this topic, I wanted just what the title promised, a BASIC guide to interpreting the Bible. I didn't want a book that would require a basic guide on how to interpret the basic guide to interpreting the Bible.For example, the author writes, "Some have suggested that meaning is a property of the text...This view argues that a literary text is "autonomous". As a text it possesses semantic autonomy in the sense that its meaning is completely independent of what its author meant when he or she wrote." What?!? (or Huh?!?) While this certainly isn't unfathomable, it is written in a style which is much more difficult than it has to be. This may be a basic guide if you are a scholar. While this book is not without it's merits, there are many other books out on the same topic which will serve you much better without having to struggle with the language. Max Ander's books come to mind. If you are looking for a guide which is basic and user friendly, then this is not the book for you.
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