The Interpretation of Prophecy

by Patrick Fairbairn, Mark Riedel (Editor)

Patrick Fairbairn (1805-1874) was a renowned Scottish minister and theologian in the Free Church of Scotland. He served as Professor of Theology in the Free Church Theological Seminary and his literary works include widely-admired commentaries on Ezekiel and Jonah, and a hugely influential work on Typology.
The 19th century saw a surge of interest in biblical prophecy but the vast majority of books on the subject insisted in an over-strict literalism, stripping passages of their relevance and application to all believers, focusing almost entirely on the predictive element.
Fairbairn sought to counter this by carefully establishing the principles by which prophecy is to be interpreted. Showing their purpose to bring consolation, their applicability to the Church in all ages and the consistent use of symbolic language throughout, he demonstrates the richness of all the prophetic utterances.
First published in 1856, this edition has been completely re-typeset for issue as an eBook.

Genres: Theology

601 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1856

About the author

Rev. Patrick Fairbairn, D.D. (University of Edinburgh, 1826) was a minister and theologian of the Free Church of Scotland. He was Principal and Professor of Church History and Exegesis for the Free Church College from its 1856 founding until his death, and was Professor of Theology at the Free Church Theological College in Aberdeen from 1853.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Objective and biblical. So much so that I wasn't really sure how to categorize his eschatology until near the end. Read my summaries here: http://avan.im/ex-libris/patrick-fair...

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an easy read, but an excellent refutation of literalistic (read: dispensational) views of biblical prophecy. We’ll forgive his postmil ending.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated and dry, but full of rich content. An abridged version might be helpful or even one with a better outline. I bought this digitally for $1, for some reason the print edition was near $50 even though the work is public domain (google books has it for free). I would recommend getting your hands on a physical copy of this book since it is a slow read and I didn't enjoy staring at a screen for this one.

[Alex]

8/7/2024: Read Part II, Chapter 2 - "The Prophetical Future of the Jewish People" in preparation to write a paper on "the Jews called" (WLC 191)

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent classic work.