Preguntas y respuestas sobre cómo interpretar la Biblia

40 Questions

by Robert L. Plummer

El segundo en una serie organizada en un formato de preguntas y respuestas, este libro trata las principales preguntas que estudiantes, pastores y profesores hacen sobre cómo leer y comprender la Biblia. El libro se divide en cuatro partes: primeros pasos, acercamiento general a la Biblia, acercamiento a textos específicos y temas de debates recientes.

The second in the series organized around FAQs,　40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible　tackles the major questions that students, pastors and professors ask about reading and understanding the Bible.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, School, Religion

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2010

About the author

Robert L. Plummer, Ph.D., is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. Dr. Plummer is the author or editor of several books, including '40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible' (Kregel, 2010). Dr. Plummer is an elder at Sojourn Community Church (East Campus), Louisville, Ky. He has served on mission assignments in China, India, Malaysia, Ghana, Israel, Turkey, and Trinidad. He and his wife Chandi have three daughters. During his spare time, Dr. Plummer enjoys running mini-marathons and drinking hot tea.

Reviews

[Riley Hambrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. It answered all 40 of my questions. Thank goodness I didn’t have 41 questions. That would’ve been tough.

[J. Amill Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book by Dr. Plummer. It is one of the books I wished I had read when I was younger and was struggling with how to make sense of the Bible. It answers important questions about the nature, compositions nd interpretation of the Bible. From concepts of authorial intent, to textual criticism, to speech act theory, the book is full of gems that would be useful for anyone trying to make sense of the Bible. It is an unashamedly academic book in nature, full of footnotes and references, and yet, incredibly accessible and readable. Anyone with little or no background in these topics would be able to understand the questions being asked and the answers given. In short, a solid book meant for both, graduate students and the laity.

[Jeremy Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise guide that has already helped me to read and interpret the Bible better. This book is an excellent resource for all Christians who desire to know their Bibles better and to understand how to approach the Bible. Each chapter is short and accessible, and I know I will be able to easily reference this book again in the future when I need to return to a specific question. Whether it’s seeking to understand how to read the Psalms, how to read Jesus’ parables, how to employ various critical tools, or how the biblical canon came to be, this book has the answers.

[Brent Blanchette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for gaining broad knowledge on a variety of topics that often arise as Christians mature and seek to faithfully interpret the Bible. Plummer is upfront about his personal beliefs and allows wide latitude for non-heretical differences of opinion. This approach helps readers understand multiple perspectives without unduly steering them toward any single view. As a result, the book expands the reader’s understanding without doing the interpretive work for them, encouraging reliance on Spirit-led personal engagement with Scripture.

While breadth of discussion is the primary aim of the book, each chapter concludes with several recommended resources for readers who wish to pursue greater depth based on their interests or needs.

Overall, this is an excellent book that addresses a wide range of topics from a variety of faithful viewpoints, making it well suited for the budding theologian. It is well worth both the purchase and the read.

[Caleb Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

DO NOT ASK ME 41 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BIBLE! It was a really great book that I think could be a super useful tool throughout my life. I am interested in reading more of the books in this series; and who knows, I may use the same joke again for the next one

[Ryan Cable · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright, I feel like a lot was restated and chapters could’ve been merged together but didn’t because of the 40 questions series. A good introductory to how to read and understand the Bible.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great.

Plummer, a prof at SBTS, has written a concise, clear, and helpful book on various questions regarding the Bible. He manages to handle many questions without it seeming too "partisan", that is, he manages to explore how the church across the ages have approached interpretation (i.e. Origen and early church fathers allegorizing Jesus' parables). I will be recommending as a resource to accompany Bible reading and specifically the "how" of reading the Bible. I benefited greatly.

If you go to the Stone, you can purchase this book with the other books at the Get Trained table. Worth it even to have as a resource regarding highfalutin theological terms (e.g. Theological Interpretation of Scripture, Intertexuality, Source Criticism, etc.) Highly recommended.

[Jake Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really helpful introduction to biblical interpretation and covered a wide range of topics, including things like the process of canonization, whether the accuracy of the ancient manuscripts was preserved, and what it means for the Bible to be inerrant. The chapters were short, well-organized, and easy to read.

Note: some of the chapters, such as those about how to interpret specific Biblical genres, draw a lot from Dr. Stein's book A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules, which has a great more in-depth study of those topics.

[Anna Grace Galkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have my scruples, but overall this was a helpful, introductory-level, trouble-shooter of a book.

I got a better grasp on typology. I also found the genre chapters practical as tools for personal/teaching study.

I think the pat insistence upon authorial intent drove me a little crazy - mostly because I think this just kicks the epistemological can down the road - but in all fairness - by the end of the book I began to understand and agree with his conviction behind the phraseology.

Seems to have a great bibliography - would love to dig a little deeper at some point.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a fairly approachable book on the topic of biblical interpretation. It did get fairly dense and overly academic for me by the end of the book (at least in the first edition I was reading). There was some helpful material on interpreting biblical prophecy that helped me understand how New Testament authors cited fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament that had previously not made complete sense to me. The book was structured well, with lots of chapters that broke it up in a good way.

[Maryeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan. A very practical book that gives concise answers to 40 different questions about interpreting the Bible (hence the title lol). This book is a great guide for becoming a more faithful Bible reader! I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned.

Also, I’m now a big fan of Plummer and hope to take some of his classes.

[Nay Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this a 4.5 star rating. I read this for one of my theology classes and I loved it! It was definitely a bit of a difficult read, but so impactful and informative about the Bible as a whole. I truly am thankful to have been able to read this gem. I can see myself re-reading certain chapters for sure. Would definitely recommend it to any theology student or Bible nerd.

[Isaiah Kirkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful and readable. I’d recommend it to any Christian at any walk of life that has any questions about the Bible, it’s history, and engaging with it.

[Andrew Krom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Give this to anyone who wants "Hermeneutics 101" in bit sized pieces.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 reads: 19/52

Rating: 4.5 stars

[Nathan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid 4.5. Great introduction to hermeneutics, that everyone could benefit from. Plummer gives a great overview and some helpful principles but really addresses the heart of the issue. Summed up, if you want to be better at interpreting the Bible, read it.

[Ashton E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been wanting a firmer grasp on how I know the Bible to be trustworthy in accompany with my faith.

“Inerrant/Inerrancy. The doctrine of inerrancy, or the claim that the Scriptures are inerrant, means that the Bible is completely truthful in all things that the biblical authors assert—whether in geographic, chronological, or theological details. Advocates of inerrancy affirm a verbal plenary view of inspiration. That is, although the human authors of Scripture were thinking composers, God so superintended the writing process such that every word written was according to his will.”

So it’s still according to his will even if the timing of something is “wrong” it’s still truthful because it’s correct in it’s intention and always spiritually true.

Concepts like that and about the canonization have really helped my understanding of scripture to increase even more.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Dr. Plummer's writing style, theological convictions, and the clarity with which he approaches this topic. On the whole this book was very helpful, but the downside is that a 40 Questions format inevitably leads to brief and occasional too basic treatments of certain topics. That said, Plummer packs a lot of material into these short chapters. Read this, or use it as an encyclopedia to address various topics in hermeneutics, but assume that for an in-depth treatment you'll need to pick up other books as well.

[Caroline Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friends harass me when I don’t leave reviews so….

Big fan of Plummer’s 40 Questions!!! He provides readers with questions (40 to be exact) to ask when reading the Bible. His heart for people to know God more through the faithful study of His word is evident in every chapter.

Reading this made me wanna take greek just to have him as a professor hahahaha

[Chase Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. The chapters were short, clear, and leave no ambiguity. Definitely an intro book to hermeneutics and will give you great hermeneutical tools to read the Bible. A type of “get your feet wet” book for hermeneutical study. Plummer is also not afraid to voice his opinion on some interpretative methods of the Bible which I found quite humorous.

I’ll probably read this again for his class ;-).

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great resource for those who want to learn more about understanding the Bible in short chunks. I read it cover to cover but it could also be helpful in seeking help on a particular question. I can see myself referring to individual chapters through the coming years when specific questions arise.

[Steven Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely helpful and practical resource to help people interpret the Bible. It is extensive in the number and variety of questions it answers, and clear and concise in its explanations. I would highly recommend this as a resource to anyone wanting to better understand Scripture. It provided me with knowledge that I will use for a lifetime.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a textbook for a class I’m taking in Bible college and I found myself excited to read it weekly! It is full of such valuable information and I think every Christian would benefit from reading it.

Some chapters were less intriguing to me but a few really stand out and I learned something new with each chapter.

[Tanner Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like a Hermeneutics 101 class in 300 pages. The beginning and the ends of the book were so good, the middle was somewhat dry, but needed.

There may not be a ton of new information in his book if your familiar with theological education at any level. But there are some many good nuggets it is worth the read!

[Braxten Mecham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book. Have had to read for my class at Moody Bible Institute and honestly it is a really good introduction to hermeneutics and gives good simple principles for interpretation (of specific literary genres). Would probably only recommend this book to someone who is a teacher of the Word, is studying theology or just loves theology Lol. But good book overall

[Rodrigo Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma excelente obra para introduzir o leitor na área de interpretação bíblica. Foi minha primeira leitura na área e consegui absorver bastante conteúdo principalmente devido a forma didática que o autor apresenta os temas. Os capítulos são curtos e a leitura bastante fluida. Recomendo a leitura.

[John Waldrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great first hermeneutics book to read. I wish I had something like this almost half a century ago. Do I agree with absolutely everything the author has written no. The only book I agree 100% with is the Bible. This is a good book!

[Sloan French · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wrote a reflection about this, so I’m not going to rehash things. Plummer is a talented writer, and though he repeats himself throughout this book (something I appreciate to help me remember everything in it), each chapter builds upon the chapters preceding it. Going through this cover-to-cover feels rewarding.

[Jen Grisham · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a few exceptions, this book is remarkably accessible for believers who want to understand how they should interpret Scripture. Each chapter is brief, but offers helpful framework for reading various parts of the Bible and understanding them in the way the human and divine authors intended.