God-Centered Biblical Interpretation

by Vern Sheridan Poythress

Emphasizes both spiritual dynamics and sound linguistic principles for understanding Scripture and exposes the idols that lead interpretation astray.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian, Christianity

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Vern Sheridan Poythress was born in 1946 in Madera, California, where he lived with his parents Ransom H. Poythress and Carola N. Poythress and his older brother Kenneth R. Poythress. After teaching mathematics for a year at Fresno State College (now California State University at Fresno), he became a student at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he earned an M.Div. (1974) and a Th.M. in apologetics (1974). He received an M.Litt. in New Testament from University of Cambridge (1977) and a Th.D. in New Testament from the University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa (1981).

He has been teaching in New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia since 1976. In 1981 he was ordained as a teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which has now merged with the Presbyterian Church in America.

More information about his teaching at Westminster can be found at the Westminster Seminary website.

Dr. Poythress studied linguistics and Bible translation at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Norman Oklahoma in 1971 and 1972, and taught linguistics at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in the summers of 1974, 1975, and 1977. He has published books on Christian philosophy of science, theological method, dispensationalism, biblical law, hermeneutics, Bible translation, and Revelation. A list of publications is found on this website.

Dr. Poythress married his wife Diane in 1983, and they have two children, Ransom and Justin. He has side interests in science fiction, string figures, volleyball, and computers.

The family lived on a farm until he was five years old. When he was nine years old he made a public commitment to Christ and was baptized in Chowchilla First Baptist Church, Chowchilla, California. The family later moved to Fresno, California, and he graduated from Bullard High School in Fresno.

He earned a B.S. in mathematics from California Institute of Technology (1966) and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University (1970).

Reviews

[Raymond Bouchoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed approach to understanding the Bible. Exams every angle including perspectives of the author, the text itself, and the reader.

Greatest takeaway: understanding why a widow today can take comfort from a passage in Isaiah that speaks about God and Israel.

[Zack Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of triangles and they all coinhere.

[William Dicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very confusing. Poythress just seemed to try to be too elevated and the way he explained things just did not make sense to me.

[Benjamin Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating introduction to "triperspectivalism," at least Poythress's version of it. Poythress argues that order of all of creation, including meaning, reason, communication etc are triune in reflecting their triune creator. He argues, for instance, that there are three aspects of the sense or meaning of a thing; its classification, instantiation and association. A thing can be classified into a broader universal, described as a unified and unique instance of that universal, and one part of numerous other instances of universals with innumerable relations with them. Realist philosophies like Platonism tend to reduce the meaning of a thing to its universal, empiricists and nominalists tend to reduce it to its instantiation and structuralists along with other coherentist based philosophies reduce it to its associations. Poythress argues that through a triune perspective all three can be seen as equally ultimate.

Like Van Til and Oliphint, the challenge for Poythress is how to avoid his system reducing to fideism. This is because all three argue that no human contrived theory of meaning, reason or truth can really demonstrate or even begin to prove what these things are in themselves. We are completely reliant of God's revelation. They can and do argue that the only way to be consistent in one's worldview is to accept God's revelation but unlike Clarke, they deny that such inconsistencies can be thoroughly demonstrated. I would more or less agree with this point of view, but it seems at its base, to still be a form of fideism. The truths of Christian doctrine can only be believed or disbelieved, they cannot be demonstrated (though in some sense they can be evidenced).

[Curby Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poythress wrote this short but dense work in 1999 and it still holds up very well. He explores the subject of hermeutics in a multi-perspectival way (as he is known to do) with a large emphasis on the philosphy of language and how the Trinity relates to language and communication.

He starts each chapter with a short dialogue between characters such as:

Libbie Liberal
Rolund Relativist
Norma Narratologist
Danny Demythologizer
Hermen Hermeneut
Missy Missiologist
Oliver Objectivist
Amy Affirmationist
Dottie Doctinalist
Laura Liturist
Peter Pietist

Using them as examples and foils to start each topic and illustrate how emphasis in just one area can miss a larger and more complete understanding of Scripture.

His overall focus is that the trinitarian nature of God and His Lordship over reality - including language - impacts communication, revelation and biblical interpretation. His perspective is from a Reformational view that holds to Sola Scriptura.

I read this alongside of How to Read the Bible For All It's Worth by Fee and Stuart and highly recommend it for any serious student of the Bible.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. An interesting philosophical and theological look at hermeneutics. Poythress applies his own brand of Van Tilianism and triperspectivalism to biblical interpretation. It is both helpful and convoluted. More about foundations for interpretation than anything else. If you're looking for a manual for interpretation/exegesis I'd say read Poythress' other book "Reading the Word of God in the Presence of God." It's a much better work than this one.

[Zach Barnhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for seminary students and pastors who preach. But also very academic and narrowed to that audience. Laypeople will probably find this book to be a challenge to get through. If you preach, though, there are some great resources in here. Specifically the Steps of Interpretation and (as always) Poythress' helpful diagrams.

[Andrew Hageman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very challenging read. Lots of terms which are hard to remember. Lots of triangles. Maybe I'm just not at the level to understand it but based on other reviews it seems like other people had the same problem.

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read everything by Poythress and then read it again.

[Rkeddins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult book for me. I think my difficulty is in my simple mind and the depth of material presented. I think the book is worth reading for anyone seeking to know God. I used the thesis of the book along with the hermeneutic in a series of sermons to our local fellowship.

It is written well and I learned a tremendous amount from it. Poythress builds the argument of a God centered hermeneutic by analyzing various triads and their relationship to the triune God of scripture. The hermeneutic presented is richer than others that I have studied and is complementary to those in common practice. I especially appreciated the emphasis on knowing God and the growing depth of relationship as we study Him.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triangles. Triangles everywhere.

Something I want to dig into further: In one of his footnotes Poythress mentions that his tri-perspectival approach to language (e.g. expressive, informational, productive) is not quite equivalent to Frame's Normative, existential, situational, which he says is asymmetric in that only the normative is divine, while the existential and situational relate to created reality.

Really? Something doesn't seem right here...Maybe my understanding of Frame's triangle is off, but it seems like all three are divine...

[Matt Pelto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather than a hermeneutical technique manual, this book is more of a primer on a proper hermeneutical mindset. Conta popular rationalism, Dr. Poythress advocates for modeling our hermeneutic, and more foundationally our view of communication, on the Triunity of God and the coinherence demonstrated therein. If there is one take away from this book it is that, that our theology proper defines our hermeneutic. It can seem heady at times, but upon reflection, much of it will prove useful. I highly recommend this book as one that will shape your thinking on biblical interpretation.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book by a thought provoking and enriching scholar. Shows how the Trinity and the communication between Father, Son, and Spirit are related to all interpretation and human communication perspectivally. Isolating or absolutizing one perspective over against the other reveals an idolatrous proclivity in the human heart and so we should always declare "holy war" on this proclivity.

[Eric Molicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poythress and Frame should be locked in a cage for a Triad death match. Winner's Triad becomes the organizing paradigm for all Reformed theology...

Translation: Something useful here, but confused as I seek to relate it to Frame's tri-perspectivalism.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hermeneutics itu penting. Tapi dalam spirit apa kau lakukan itu, jauuuhh lebih penting...

[Jared Mcnabb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book as much as Poythress' other works. Some of the language and terminology was confusing, and the book was not as clear as he ussually is.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poythress' triperspectival approach is useful. A good book.

[Bob Almond · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult read for me.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overall. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five as it sometimes it was unclear how particular chapter related to his main argument.