|
This book is written by an outstanding reformed,
Presbyterian-theology writer. Poythress is professor of New Testament at
Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. One of the most serious things
we do is interpret Scripture. If we are wrong there, then we will distort or
altogether miss the Bible’s message. Vern Poythress has taught
hermeneutics for more than twenty years. He knows his topic and ably
communicates it in oral and written form. He has written extensively on this
and other subjects.
Poythress sets forth a Trinitarian approach to interpreting
Scripture. He reminds us at the outset that if we read and interpret the Bible
as merely a human book, we distort the message. He uses alliterations to
illustrate some of the most common distortions, creating characters such as
Libby Liberal, Natalie Naturalist, and Norma Narratologist that make the reading
delightful and help the reader understand and apply Poythress’ points. Some
chapter titles that may whet your appetite for this book include: “God and
Biblical Interpretation,” “What is the Bible?,” “The Purpose of the Bible,” “The
Triune Character of Truth,” “Meaning,” “Communication,” and “Steps in
Interpretation.”
One thread the author weaves throughout the book, both
explicitly and implicitly, is the fact that our view of God impacts our
interpretation of Scripture. Poythress writes, “To know the author is to know
[God]. If we are darkened in our understanding of God, our knowledge of the
Bible will inevitably suffer, sometimes subtly, sometimes radically.” The
concluding chapter of the book, “Differences in the Doctrine of God among
Christians” clearly reminds us of this point.
Poythress also underscores the need to combine an
understanding of the speaker (writer), the audience addressed, and the discourse
or text in order to begin to comprehend God’s message to us. The chapter “Steps
in Interpretation” delineates three steps that help us study and interpret the
Word. Poythress also understands the weakness of the “Enlightenment,
scientific, and rationalistic” approach to interpreting Scripture—the assumption
that using all the right tools and logic will guarantee a correct
interpretation. He maintains that a sense of how the church throughout history
has understood a passage is necessary—essential—if we are to correctly interpret
the Bible.
Poythress reminds us that we can get information from the
Bible and still miss God’s message. To understand the Bible we must involve
both the mind and the heart; we must exegete soundly but also wrestle with the
application of God’s Word for today’s setting. Poythress clearly grasp the
strengths and weaknesses of post-modernism, which makes his book valuable
reading. It will be extremely helpful in teaching students how to correctly
interpret the Bible.
- Charles Dunahoo, CEP Coordinator
|