Biblical Interpretation: Theory, Process, and Criteria
Kim expertly brings to the fore the essential elements of interpretation--the reader, the text, and the reading lens--and attempts to explore a set of criteria for solid interpretation. While celebrating the diversity of biblical interpretation, Kim warns that not all interpretations are valid, legitimate, or healthy because interpretation involves the complex process of what he calls critical contextual biblical interpretation. He suggests that readers engage with the text by asking important questions of their own: Why do we read? How do we read? and What do we read? --From the back coverKim analyzes the process of biblical interpretation with provocative accent. While acknowledging the value of historical-critical and literary narrative contributions, Kim privileges the reader-response dimension. His contribution is distinctive in its depth analysis of the interplay between the interpreter and the text. ... The book is an enriching, collateral resource for graduate level courses on biblical interpretation. --Willard Swartley Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical SeminaryIn this compelling introduction to the dynamics of biblical interpretation, Kim builds on established methods of interpretation to promote new strategies of reading, in which the question of what the text means is bound together with questions about the identity and circumstances of readers. With sensitivity to the ethics of interpretation and the values of solidarity and diversity, this book opens a way to focus on timely interpretations of the biblical text. --Ray Pickett Professor of New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology at ChicagoAt last, I have found the brief introduction to biblical interpretation I've been looking for! Kim clearly and succinctly lays out the issues and options; and, to encourage the reader to go deeper, he includes reaction questions at the end of each chapter. I look forward to using this book in class. . . . May this gem have a long and well-traveled life!" --Michael Willett Newheart Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Howard University School of DivinityBiblical Interpretation provides a comprehensive, hopeful, and practical vision to the reader, scholar, and preacher for understanding biblical texts in more critical and egalitarian ways. Yung Suk Kim's vision is to bring new .  . . voices to the table in an effort to understand and interpret biblical texts in fresh and creative ways--ways that will make pulpit preaching a direct beneficiary of the entire process.  --James Henry Harris Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology, Graduate School of Theology, Virginia Union University