How to Read the Bible: History, Prophecy, Literature--Why Modern Readers Need to Know the Difference and What It Means for Faith Today

History, Prophecy, Literature--Why Modern Readers Need to Know the Difference and What It Means for Faith Today

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies, Criticism & Interpretation
Cover of the book How to Read the Bible: History, Prophecy, Literature--Why Modern Readers Need to Know the Difference and What It Means for Faith Today by Steven L McKenzie, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Steven L McKenzie ISBN: 9780199840038
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: March 16, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Steven L McKenzie
ISBN: 9780199840038
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: March 16, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

McKenzie argues that to comprehend the Bible we must grasp the intentions of the biblical authors themselves--what sort of texts they thought they were writing and how they would have been understood by their intended audience. In short, we must recognize the genres to which these texts belong. McKenzie examines several genres that are typically misunderstood, offering careful readings of specific texts to show how the confusion arises, and how knowing the genre produces a correct reading. The book of Jonah, for example, offers many clues that it is meant as a humorous satire, not a straight-faced historical account of a man who was swallowed by a fish. Likewise, McKenzie explains that the very names "Adam" and "Eve" tell us that these are not historical characters, but figures who symbolize human origins ("Adam" means man , "Eve" is related to the word for life ). Similarly, the authors of apocalyptic texts--including the Book of Revelation--were writing allegories of events that were happening in their own time. Not for a moment could they imagine that centuries afterwards, readers would be poring over their works for clues to the date of the Second Coming of Christ, or when and how the world would end. For anyone who takes reading the Bible seriously and who wants to get it right, this book will be both heartening and enlightening.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

McKenzie argues that to comprehend the Bible we must grasp the intentions of the biblical authors themselves--what sort of texts they thought they were writing and how they would have been understood by their intended audience. In short, we must recognize the genres to which these texts belong. McKenzie examines several genres that are typically misunderstood, offering careful readings of specific texts to show how the confusion arises, and how knowing the genre produces a correct reading. The book of Jonah, for example, offers many clues that it is meant as a humorous satire, not a straight-faced historical account of a man who was swallowed by a fish. Likewise, McKenzie explains that the very names "Adam" and "Eve" tell us that these are not historical characters, but figures who symbolize human origins ("Adam" means man , "Eve" is related to the word for life ). Similarly, the authors of apocalyptic texts--including the Book of Revelation--were writing allegories of events that were happening in their own time. Not for a moment could they imagine that centuries afterwards, readers would be poring over their works for clues to the date of the Second Coming of Christ, or when and how the world would end. For anyone who takes reading the Bible seriously and who wants to get it right, this book will be both heartening and enlightening.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri : Volume 3: Paradiso by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Escaping Salem:The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Supernatural Selection : How Religion Evolved by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code:A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Exorbitant Privilege:The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Bakkhai by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book The Lees Of Virginia : Seven Generations Of An American Family by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book The Bible Now by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Royals and the Reich:The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Rebels Rising : Cities and the American Revolution by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Guns or Butter : The Presidency of Lyndon Johnson by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book The Scratch of a Pen : 1763 and the Transformation of North America by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book War From the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics by Steven L McKenzie
Cover of the book Crossing Hitler:The Man Who Put the Nazis on the Witness Stand by Steven L McKenzie
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy