The study of the Bible has long included a literary aspect with great attention paid not only to what was written but also to how it was expressed. The detailed analysis of biblical books and passages as written texts has benefited from the study of literature in classical philology, ancient rhetoric, and modern literary criticism. Literary Approaches to the Bible introduces the various ways the study of literature has been used in biblical studies. Most literary approaches emphasize the study of the text alone—its structure, its message, and its use of literary devices—rather than its social or historical background. The methods described in this volume are focused on different ways of analyzing the text within its literary context. Some of the techniques have been around for centuries, but the theories of literary critics from the early 20th century to today had a profound impact on biblical interpretation. In this book, you will learn about those literary approaches, how they were adapted for biblical studies, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
The Lexham Methods Series is designed for exegetes who need to learn, refresh, and master the tools of biblical scholarship. The books present scholarly information in an easy-to-understand format and focus on cutting-edge methods for biblical interpretation while avoiding jargon. The four volumes give you a complete overview of every major type of biblical interpretation, featuring history and key figures, methods and terms, and a how-to section, giving you a strong foundation for further research.
Get all four volumes in the Lexham Methods Series.
Students entering biblical studies courses at the college or seminary level are often baffled by the array of new methodologies they encounter. Reading their Bible and going to church never prepared them for the likes of form criticism, redaction criticism, rhetorical analysis, narrative criticism, or structuralism! What these students need is a simple and clear introduction to the presuppositions, technical terms and goals of these methods. The Lexham Method Series meets this need. More specifically, this fourth volume, Literary Approaches to the Bible, introduces students to recent literary approaches that analyze texts as narrative and literary wholes. The book is clear, accurate and readable. Highly recommended. I only wish these volumes were available when I was in seminary!
—Mark L. Strauss, professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary San Diego
This collection provides an excellent introduction to various methodologies utilized in literary interpretation of the Bible. Each essay gives a definition and explanation of the method being presented, examples of its application to the biblical text, and a balanced assessment of its advantages and limitations. Students and practitioners of biblical interpretation will find this a very helpful introduction to various literary methods of interpretation, which are not presented as the means of interpreting the Bible, but rather one tool to be utilized alongside others to assist the interpreter in grasping the meaning and significance of the text.
—David R. Beck, associate dean of biblical studies, professor of New Testament and Greek, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Douglas Mangum is an academic editor for Lexham Press. He holds a PhD in Hebrew from the University of Free State and holds a Master of Arts in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is an associate editor of the Lexham Bible Dictionary, editor of the Lexham Methods Series, and a regular Bible Study Magazine contributor.
Douglas Estes holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Nottingham. He is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Practical Theology and the Director of the DMin Program at South University—Columbia. Previously he served in pastoral ministry for sixteen years. He is a regular contributor to Bible Study Magazine.