Reading the Bible with the Dead: What You Can Learn from the History of Exegesis that You Can't Learn from Exegesis Alone

by John Lee Thompson

Many Christians would describe themselves as serious and regular readers of the Bible. Yet, if we are honest, most of us have a tendency to stick with the parts of the Bible that we understand or are comforted by, leaving vast tracts of Scripture unexplored. Even when following a guide, we may never reach into the Bible's less-traveled regions ? passages marked by violence, tragedy, offense, or obscurity. What our modern minds shy away from, however, ancient, medieval, and Reformation commentators dove into. In fact, their writings often display strikingly contemporary interests and sensitivities to the meaning and moral implications of the Bible's difficult narratives. John Thompson here presents nine case studies in the history of exegesis ? including the stories of Hagar and Jephthah's daughter, the imprecatory psalms, and texts that address domestic relations, particularly divorce ? in order to demonstrate the valuable insights into Scripture that we can gain not only from what individual commentators say but from fifteen centuries' cumulative witness to the meaning of Scripture in the life of the church.

Genres: Theology, History, Biblical Studies, Christianity

324 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

John L. Thompson is professor of historical theology and Galen and Susan Byker Professor of Reformed Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He is a contributor to the Global Dictionary of Theology (InterVarsity Press), the author of John Calvin the Daughters of Sarah (Droz) and Writing the Wrongs (Oxford), and the coeditor of Biblical Interpretation in the Era of the Reformation (Eerdmans). He is married to another InterVarsity Press author, Marianne Meye Thompson.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book considers some controversial Bible passages concerning the treatment of women. The author shows that although past interpreters did not have the modern sensibilities we have, they showed more concern about the just treatment of women than we might give them credit for. So, even though we might not be in agreement on every point, there are nonetheless some valuable lessons we can learn from commentators throughout the history of Christianity.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

K, have to admit that I didn't finish this one. It's incredibly well researched and informative, but not exactly a page turner. Basically, Thompson charts the exegetical history of about 10 difficult biblical passages and themes (Jepthah's daughter, Paul's writings on women in the church, etc.). His heartening conclusion is that, even way back when, these stories were not taken as, "God said it, I believe it, let's move on." You can see the struggles that Augustine, Luther, Calvin and many others had in making theological sense of them. So, even though I still bristle at most of their conclusions, they prove false the assumption that most of our history has simply accepted these painful passages as God's will for humankind.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected, but well worth the read. Rather than a mere encouragement to read the history of interpretation, the author works through several groupings of difficult texts with the help of past interpreters, demonstrating both weaknesses and wealth in the history of reflection on scripture.

[Mark VanderWerf · Rating 5 out of 5]

"By learning to attend to marginalized characters in Bible stories, we just might learn to see our neighbors with new and compassionate eyes" (5).

"Without a doubt, there is something counterintuitive in suggesting that we don't fully know what the Bible means until we know something about what the Bible has meant. Particularly for Protestants, it may seem rather curious, if not risky, to suggest that a correct understanding of the preeminent authority of the Bible will actually drive us toward a deeper knowledge of Christian tradition and the history of interpretation, not away from it" (11).

"Shouldn't an affection for the Bible and its message also lead to some appreciation for the historical character of the Bible... And shouldn't Christians also have some sense for how the essentials of the gospel have come to us already much considered and much digested, through centuries of reflection and controversy within the Christian church..." (215).

"...the Bible is better read and used when traditional commentators - the teachers and preachers of the early church, the Middle Ages, and the Reformation era - are invited to join us in a conversation about the meaning of Scripture for our own day" (216).

[Pastor Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

History

A good book on the development of theology and how older commentaries interpreted complex issues.

The part about women in ministry was especially good.

[Debbie Howell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Catchy title, I thought--just wish the writing had been as catchy throughout. The author took some difficult Bible passages and summarized commentary on them from various periods of church history. Among others, he included the thoughts of Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Origen on such subjects as Abraham's banishment of Hagar, divorce, Gomer & Hosea, and Paul's admonition for women to remain silent in church. Some of the commentary from the past was surprisingly compassionate and flexible, given the culture and traditions the authors lived in. This book did help me see ways that interpretation of the Bible has been influenced by the context of current events or church conflicts, and it's a good reminder to not think we have it all figured out all the time. The author closes with a little essay on "reading the Bible in the presence of the past," which has merit, but ultimately this book was a pretty dry read, so it's hard for me to get excited about pursuing his recommendations for further reading. Pluses: he knew his subject, some good insights on women in ministry and divorce. Minuses: so boring, tedious listings of opinions of dead guys I never heard of and wasn't sure whether I needed to care remember them or not to make sense of what was coming (usually no). This was a book group pick, and the consensus of the group was the same--pretty tough reading, but liked the general principles he drew out at the end of each chapter.

[Nate Claiborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think you can read Thompson’s book profitably regardless of your opinion on the validity of feminist biblical interpretations. In some cases I think the lesson to be learned is that we shouldn’t read some texts the way they have been in the past. But, it is better to read communally with those who have gone before us, even if we ultimately disagree, rather than just myopically read it ourselves. Thompson’s book is a helpful descriptive work and offers some useful prescriptions for moving forward in our reading the Bible with the dead.

For the full review, visit my blog

[M Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine thesis and a well-constructed book. Dr. Thompson uses brief passages from Church Fathers and key Reformers to show the value of using centuries old commentaries to unlock Biblical truths, especially in hard passages. Perhaps best of all, he provides an extensive list of readings for more work of this type. Since I was already interested in the topic, I can't say that he converted me but I'm glad to have the examples he's given.

[Michael Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written and thought out consideration of how patristic, medieval, and reformation-era commentaries should be brought into interpretation of the scriptures. In his exploration of this topic, Thompson delves into some of the thorniest and most difficult passages to see what can be gleaned from reading with "the dead." I highly recommend this to any pastors and theologians who are interested in historical interpretation of the Bible.