This fifth volume in the Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation series is an exploration of both the historical nature of the Bible and the character of biblical history writing. In view of recent trends in biblical studies, the age-old question of the relationship between history and faith must again take center stage in hermeneutical discussion. The Art of Biblical History seeks to address basic questions that all Bible readers might ask: Is the Bible a history book? What do we mean by "history" anyway? In what sense is biblical historicity important for faith? Are there guidelines for discovering what historical truth claims a particular passage may be making? The discussions take account of both current thinking among biblical scholars and the best insights of secular historians. The result is an attempt to describe biblical history writing as a kind of representational art and to commend a hermeneutical approach that does justice not merely to the historical or literary or theological character of the Bible, but to all three at once.

New volume in the TOTC replacement programme

Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation seeks to identify and clarify the basic problems of interpretation that affect our reading of the Bible today. This unique volume provides a comprehensive and systematic coverage of the field of general hermeneutics. Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation examines the impact of specific academic disciplines on the interpretation of the Bible. Previously published as separate volumes, its various sections explore the interface between hermeneutics and literary criticism, linguistics, history, science, and theology. Included in Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation, each with its own separate table of contents, are: -Has the Church Misread the Bible? -- Moises Silva -Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation -- Tremper Longman III -God, Language, and Scripture -- Moises Silva -The Art of Biblical History -- V. Philips Long -Science and Hermeneutics -- Vern S. Poythress -The Study of Theology -- Richard A. Muller. These six sections cover the interface between hermeneutics and the major disciplines.

The stories of Samuel, Saul, and David are among the most memorable in the Old Testament. Yet the lives of these individuals are bound up in the larger story of God's purpose for his people. In this Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, V. Philips Long explores the meaning of the biblical history of Israel's vital transition from a confederation of tribes to nationhood under a king. He shows how attending to the books of Samuel repays its readers richly in terms of literary appreciation, historical knowledge, and theological grounding. The Tyndale Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting, and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. In the new Old Testament volumes, the commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings: Context, Comment, and Meaning. The goal is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.

"This study Bible is a must-have to help us see Jesus Christ throughout the whole Bible." --biblereviewguys.com

The ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible is designed to help readers see Christ in all of Scripture, and grace for all of life.

It features book introductions, gospel-centered study notes, and a series of all-new articles--written by a team of over 50 pastors and scholars. This content explains passage-by-passage how God's redemptive purposes culminate in the gospel and apply to the lives of believers today.

Readers will be challenged to see how the message of the gospel transforms sinners from the inside out.

- Over 375,000 words of gospel-centered study notes

- Introduction that outlines specific uses for the Bible

- Updated design and typesetting based on the original ESV Gospel Transformation Bible released in 2013

- Includes 5 new articles on topics such as the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, the gospel in the Old Testament, the covenants, and more

- Book introductions

- Concordance

- 80,000 cross-references

- Ribbon marker

- Smyth-sewn binding

- Size: 6.125" x 9.125"

- 9-point Bible text; 8-point study notes

- 2,096 pages

- Single-column, paragraph format

- Packaging: None

The debate over history, history-writing, and the scientific study of history is reaching an apex in the late twentieth century and shows no signs of abating in the near future. The literature on the topic is prodigious. The time is thus ripe for an anthology of essays of the sort that Professor Long has collected, essays that trace the history of the issues that have fed into the debate. The classic and contemporary essays presented here provide an overview and introduction to the topic, bringing together the most essential of these in a handy compilation. The book is organized in six sections: (1) The State of Old Testament Historiography (2) Ancient Near Eastern Historiography (3) Ancient Israelite Historiography (4) Method in the Study of Ancient Israelite Historiography (5) The Historical Impulse in the Old Testament (6) The Future of Israel's Past Long's goal is to provide a context for Israelite history-writing within the milieu of the ancient Near East, expose the methodologies and assumptions of various approaches and perspectives on historiography, and provide access to essays that examine the contribution of the Hebrew Scriptures themselves to the origins of history-writing. The final essay, by Long, points the way to future research and topics that will move the discussion forward into the next millennium. Professor V. Philips Long teaches Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis.