Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach

Whether we admit it or not everyone interprets the Bible. The sticky part is to interpret it properly. But where does one go for a viable method of interpretation? Currently three methods of interpretation predominate: author-centered, which looks to the world of the author for meaning; text-centered, which journeys to the world of the text in search of significance; and reader-centered, which focuses on the reader's role in shaping the meaning of a text. Each of these approaches has validity, but none has a monopoly on finding the correct meaning of a text.
In Biblical Interpretation, W. Randolph Tate invites the reader to explore the potential of each of these methodologies, noting the tremendous contribution that each makes toward finding meaning. He then shows how the most viable meaning often emerges out of an intersection of these three worlds: The world of the author and the world of the reader intersect in the world of the text to produce meaning.
Tate has not, however, resigned himself merely to describe sterile methodologies or abstract theories. Concerned that readers have a practical grasp of the interpretive process, he offers description, prescription, example, and application. The volume is especially tailored to allow the nonspecialist an entree into the world of biblical interpretation. Thus, each chapter includes a Review & Study section where a listing of Key Terms discussed and defined in the text helps manage the terminology; Study Questions prod the reader to wrestle with the interpretive issues; and suggested Further Reading directs the reader to additional resources for study.
For those serious about interpreting the Bible, this volume becomes a passport to an exciting journey. Readers may find themselves challenged and stretched, but they will be grateful for having taken the venture.

"Tate offers an informed and balanced study of variety in biblical interpretation. His command of primary and secondary sources and his clarity of presentation make this book a vade mecum for students and teachers."
--Phyllis Trible, Wake Forest University

"In this significantly expanded edition of his textbook, W. Randolph Tate brings the advantages of an integrated understanding of biblical hermeneutics to a new generation of interpreters. He more fully applies his 'three worlds' typology to an orientation of biblical hermeneutics vis-à-vis the plethora of critical methods now in regular use among increasingly diverse contemporary literary and biblical interpretive communities. In the process his typology proves itself a flexible and reliable framework for the study of biblical hermeneutics."
--William Yarchin, School of Theology, Azusa Pacific University

"[T]his third edition addresses some of the new insights into hermeneutics that have appeared within the last decade. . . . [The] bibliographies, along with the author, subject, and biblical text indices at the end, add to the usefulness of this first-rate book as a textbook for studying biblical interpretation."
--The Bible Today

"While Tate insists that his is not a textbook on critical methodologies, one of the outstanding features of this volume is its insistence on providing an accessible (and of necessity, brief) introduction to the seemingly inexhaustible list of methodological approaches currently at the disposal of the contemporary biblical interpreter. . . . An array of indexes, a steady stream of discussion questions, and well-stocked lists of further reading make this a very usable introduction to contemporary biblical interpretation."
--D. Shepherd, Vetus Testamentum

"Tate's third edition of his Biblical Interpretation reveals a mature approach to the subject of hermeneutics. . . . Review questions are included with each chapter to help the reader think through the issues. . . . This volume is a helpful addition to resources on interpretation. Its focus on three worlds [author, text, and reader] provides a perspective that will help readers balance their approach in the exegetical process."
--Joseph D. Fantin, Bibliotheca Sacra

"This is a useful work which provides a good survey of the problems of interpreting biblical texts and the different methods available to the interpreter to make sense of these ancient writings."
--David R. Law, Theological Book Review