An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning

Bernard Ramm's Protestant Biblical Hermeneutics, published in 1956, attracted a broad spectrum of Bible readers and set the tone of biblical interpretation for a whole generation of evangelical students. An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics could have a similar role for this generation at the end of the twentieth century. Almost every assumption that Ramm made has been challenged and tested by the winds of modernity and post-modernity. The severity of the changes from earlier patterns of thinking is reflected in the subtitle to this book, The Search for Meaning. This book is distinctive from others on hermeneutics in that the authors, rather than writing from a single viewpoint, hold differing opinions on many issues. There are more areas where they agree than disagree, including the authority of Scripture and the primacy of authorial meaning; but where they disagree is precisely where the issues are most crucial for the future. So the readers are invited , in effect, to eavesdrop on a vibrant dialogue between two scholars and to reach their own conclusions. Despite the convivial tone, the readers must not mistake how great the stakes are. In a culture that prizes individuality and personal freedom, the primary question is no longer 'Is it true?' but rather 'Does it matter?' hence the question of relevancy has taken precedence over the questions 'What does the text mean?' This book therefore confronts the question of meaning and shows how evangelicals may still clearly hear the Word from God amid the cacophony of the age.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (PhD, Brandeis University) is distinguished professor emeritus of Old Testament and president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Dr. Kaiser has written over 40 books, including Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching; The Messiah in the Old Testament; and The Promise-Plan of God; and coauthored An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning. Dr. Kaiser and his wife, Marge, currently reside at Kerith Farm in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. Dr. Kaiser's website is www.walterckaiserjr.com. SPANISH BIO: Walter C. Kaiser, (hijo) (Ph.D., Brandeis University) es profesor distinguido de Antiguo Testamento en el Seminario Teologico de Gordon-Conwell.

Moises Silva taught biblical studies at Westmont College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Seminary. He is the author or coauthor of eight books, and the revising editor of the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible.