In the book “How to Read the Bible for all its Worth”, the authors, Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, have taken a bold step to help equip Christians in an intelligent reading of the different genres of literature that make up the biblical Scriptures. The goal of this assignment is to present a summary of this book followed by a personal critical analysis of the same. Chapter 1 begins by locating the reason in the dual nature of the Bible, which is its “eternal relevance” and “historical particularity”, that drives the task of interpretation by first understanding the meaning of the text for its original recipients within their context, which is called exegesis, and only then construing its meaning for present day readers, which is termed hermeneutics. Thus, the …show more content…
Chapter 10 emphasizes the nature of prophetic literature as not mere predictions of the distant future, but God’s divine message for his people enforcing the Mosaic covenant in their present context of unfaithfulness along with implications for their immediate future. In closing, the poetic nature of prophecies along with its varied form of oracles is stressed. Chapter 11 helps us to understand that an appropriate interpretation of Psalms should involve an awareness of its various types, poetic nature and function in Israel’s religious and cultural life. Chapter 12 presents Wisdom literature as general, and not absolute, practical truths aimed at orienting a person’s heart to live a life of obedience to God. The book ends with a chapter on Revelation, which is presented as a unique composition containing “apocalypse, prophecy, and letter.” Therefore, its proper interpretation should consider the aspects of symbolic derivative from OT and ancient mythology, cyclical structuration and its prime function in providing hope to a persecuted