Since its publication in 1994, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics has become a standard text for a generation of students, pastors, and serious lay readers. This second edition has been substantially updated and expanded, allowing the authors to fine-tune and enrich their discussions on fundamental interpretive topics. In addition, four new chapters have been included that address more recent controversial issues:

• The role of biblical theology in interpretation
• How to deal with contemporary questions not directly addressed in the Bible
• The New Testament’s use of the Old Testament
• The role of history in interpretationThe book retains the unique aspect of being written by two scholars who hold differing viewpoints on many issues, making for vibrant, thought-provoking dialogue. What they do agree on, however, is the authority of Scripture, the relevance of personal Bible study to life, and why these things matter.

Recovering the Unity of the Bible helps readers grasp the Bible's progressive witness on various theological concepts. Walter C. Kaiser challenges the common scholarly posture that sees mostly diversity throughout the biblical canon, pointing instead to the way several Biblical themes substantially support the case for unity, including: - Messianic Promises - The People of God - The Law of God - The Doctrine of Salvation - The Mission of the Old Testament Recovering the Unity of the Bible exhibits sound techniques for students, pastors, and Bible teachers who seek to make sense of the Bible's many and different texts.

Biblical ethics is a subject that has been almost totally neglected in this century. Only six men have written a major work on Old Testament ethics in the last hundred years, and only two of these works, both written before 1900, are in English. This lack of materials on Old Testament ethics serves to underscore the significance of Walter Kaiser's "Toward Old Testament Ethics".

Dr. Kaiser has no illusions about providing a simple solution to questions of Old Testament ethics. He is familiar with the complexities of this subject and begins his work in Part I by addressing such questions as: How can ethics be defined? Is there an overarching structure to ethics as presented in the Old Testament, or is there only an unrelated series of laws? Do ethics of the Old Testament have any relevance for us today? What are the exegetical principles to be used in a study of Old Testament ethics?

Part II examines the moral texts of the Old Testament, in particular the Decalogue, the book of the covenant (Exodus 20:22-- 23:33), and the law of holiness (Leviticus 18-20). Dr. Kaiser unfolds the intention of these various laws, showing how they relate to each other and form a framework for ethics.

Part II examines the moral texts of the Old Testament, in particular the Decalogue, the book of the covenant (Exodus 20:22- 23:33), and the law of holiness (Leviticus 18- 20). Dr. Kaiser unfolds the intention of these various laws, showing how they relate to each other and form a framework for ethics.

Part III explores the content of Old Testament ethics, namely, how holiness relates to worship, work, relationships, social justice, the sanctity of life, marriage and sex, wealth, use of the truth, and movies for action.

Moral difficulties in the Old Testament present stumbling blocks to many who read these books. How are we to relate to a God who, at times, seems fickle, deceptive, and hateful? How are we to champion the offensive view of women and slaves, the particularism of God choosing Israel, and the imprecations that appear from time to time in the biblical texts? Responses to these and other difficulties form Part IV.

The book concludes with a discussion of Old Testament law and New Testament believers. Dr. Kaiser shows how these laws, written thousands of years ago, still challenge God's people to live holy lives.

Learn to identify, evaluate, and refine your approach to forming theological conclusions based on the biblical text. The Bible has long served as the standard for Christian practice, yet believers still disagree on how biblical passages should be interpreted and applied. Only when readers fully understand the constructs that inform their process of moving from Scripture to theology--and those of others--can Christians fully evaluate teachings that claim to be "biblical." In this book--part of the Counterpoints series--scholars who affirm an inspired Bible, relevant and authoritative for every era, present models they consider most faithful to Scripture Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.: Principlizing Model Daniel M. Doriani: Redemptive-Historical Model Kevin J. Vanhoozer: Drama-of-Redemption Model William J. Webb: Redemptive-Movement Model Each position receives critiques from the proponents of the other views. Moreover, due to the far-reaching implications this topic holds for biblical studies, theology, and church teaching, this book includes three additional reflections by Christopher J. H. Wright, Mark L. Strauss, and Al Wolters on the theological and practical interpretation of biblical texts. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

General editor Lloyd J. Ogilvie brings together a team of skilled and exceptional communicators to blend sound scholarship with life-related illustrations.

The design for the Preacher's Commentary gives the reader an overall outline of each book of the Bible. Following the introduction, which reveals the author's approach and salient background on the book, each chapter of the commentary provides the Scripture to be exposited. The New King James Bible has been chosen for the Preacher's Commentary because it combines with integrity the beauty of language, underlying Hebrew and Greek textual basis, and thought-flow of the 1611 King James Version, while replacing obsolete verb forms and other archaisms with their everyday contemporary counterparts for greater readability. Reverence for God is preserved in the capitalization of all pronouns referring to the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. Readers who are more comfortable with another translation can readily find the parallel passage by means of the chapter and verse reference at the end of each passage being exposited. The paragraphs of exposition combine fresh insights to the Scripture, application, rich illustrative material, and innovative ways of utilizing the vibrant truth for his or her own life and for the challenge of communicating it with vigor and vitality.

"Toward Rediscovering the Old Testament" gives an up-to-date, concise, and challenging presentation of several major areas of Old Testament study. After defining the problems, the author proposes models and solutions for some age-old dilemmas. Here are just some of the more than two dozen major questions that are discussed:

What makes the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament authoritative for the church?

How much continuity and discontinuity is there between the Old and New Testaments?

Did the Old Testament writers consciously anticipate the Messiah?

Were the object and method of salvation the same in both Testaments?

What was the Old Testament believer's experience of the Holy Spirit?

How can Christians derive principles from the specific commands of the Mosaic law?

How can Christians teach or preach from the prophetic portions of the Old Testament?

What is the challenge of the Old Testament for missions?

According to Dr. Kaiser, understanding the Old Testament is the crucial problem for the Christian. Hardly an area in the Christian life, Christian doctrine, and biblical studies is not affected by one's understanding of the Old Testament. This book is a forceful demonstration of that truth. It deals with some of the crucial topics necessary to a proper and practical interpretation and application of the Old Testament and discusses them in three parts: (1) The Old Testament and Scholarship, (2) The Old Testament and Theology, and (3) The Old Testament and Life.

This resource provides biblical truths concerning suffering and challenges readers to promote justice and emulate God's grace to those who are suffering. Part of the Theology in Community series.

What is the central theme of the Bible? Given the diversity of authorship, genre, and context of the Bible s various books, is it even possible to answer such a question? Or in trying to do so, is an external grid being unnaturally superimposed on the biblical text? These are difficult questions that the discipline of biblical theology has struggled to answer. In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of his classic Toward an Old Testament Theology, Walter Kaiser offers a solution to these unresolved issues. He proposes that there is indeed a unifying center to the theology and message of the Bible that is indicated and affirmed by Scripture itself. That center is the promise of God. It is one all-encompassing promise of life through the Messiah that winds itself throughout salvation history in both the Old and New Testaments, giving cohesiveness and unity to the various parts of Scripture. After laying out his proposal, Kaiser works chronologically through the books of both testaments, demonstrating how the promise is seen throughout, how the various sub-themes of each book relate to the promise, and how God s plan to fulfill the promise progressively unfolds. Here is a rich and illuminating biblical theology that will stir the emotion and the intellect."

Three approaches to questions about the theological connection between the Old and New Testaments. The relationship between the Testaments is not as simple and straightforward as it sometimes appears. When New Testament authors appeal to Old Testament texts to support their arguments, what is the relationship between their meanings and what was originally intended by their Old Testament forebears? Leading biblical scholars Walter Kaiser, Darrel Bock, and Peter Enns present their answers to questions about the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, addressing elements such as: Divine and human authorial intent. Context of passages. Historical and cultural considerations. The theological grounds for different interpretive methods. Each author applies his framework to specific texts so that readers can see how their methods work out in practice. Each contributor also receives a thorough critique from the other two authors. Three Views on the New Testament Use of Old Testament gives readers the tools they need to develop their own views on the meaning, contexts, and goals behind the New Testament citations of the Old. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

Old Testament texts that point to the coming of the Messiah are traditionally interpreted either from the viewpoint of their New Testament fulfillment (evangelicalism) or their linguistic and grammatical distinctiveness within the Hebrew Bible (non-conservative). The Messiah in the Old Testament considers another important line of interpretation that has been neglected in building an Old Testament theology. It approaches Israel's concept of the Messiah as a developing theme and shows how a proper grasp of the textual meaning at each stage of Old Testament revelation is necessary for understanding messianic prophecy. Beginning in the Pentateuch and working through the Old Testament to the Minor Prophets, the author delineates texts that are direct messianic prophecies and examines their meaning and development within the flow of God's plan. The reader will gain an understanding of God's process for bringing the Messiah to earth through the nation of Israel, and of his intent to bring the saving knowledge of Christ to the World through them.

"Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it." (Jeremiah 6:16) In Walking the Ancient Path, distinguished Old Testament scholar Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. draws on a lifetime of study to illuminate the book of Jeremiah for a contemporary audience. Following an introduction that surveys the historical and literary background of Jeremiah along with its theological emphases, Kaiser examines each verse of the text, explaining its meaning and significance. Every section is followed by devotional and application insights that guide the reader in applying the text to their everyday lives. Bibliographies in each section provide resources for further study, and most textual and linguistic matters are discussed in footnotes. Pastors, scholars, and serious students of the Bible will find this volume indispensable for understanding Jeremiah's message and how to apply it today.

HACIA UNA TEOLOGIA DEL ANTIGUO TESTAMENTO En los estudios del Antiguo Testamento, ningun aspecto tiene tantas demandas como la teologia. Al reconocer la mayor crisis en teologia biblica, la incapacidad de reafirmar y aplicar la autoridad de la Biblia, Walter Kaiser ofrece la solucion a los asuntos sin resolver referentes a la importancia de su definicion y metodologia. Una buena comprension de la teologia biblica, explica el autor, >. En la primera parte de su libro, el Dr. Kaiser discute la dificultad inherente al determinar la verdadera naturaleza, metodo, alcance y motivacion para la teologia del Antiguo Testamento. En la segunda, aplica su solucion en forma clara y metodica al discutir en forma cronologica los periodos del Antiguo Testamento, desde el Prepatriarcal (Prolegomenos a la Promesa) hasta el Postexilico (Triunfo de la Promesa)."

The Psalms are the Bible's book of music-without-notes whose "lyrics" portray the greatness of God. Ranging the spectrum of human experience and emotion, the Psalms acclaim God's majesty and righteousness and reveal his everlasting love for his people. Your heart will feel the psalmists' passion -- and your prayer and worship life will deepen as Israel's sacred songbook brings you "heart to heart with God."

The book of Proverbs is the world's greatest treasury of wisdom. It offers practical insights for day-to-day discussions and provides moral guidelines for living in an immoral world. As you unearth the riches of Proverbs, you will discover why "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" for all the affairs of everyday life.