Biblical Interpretation

Although it is common to use the term Biblical Interpretation to refer to Biblical Criticism, I am using it here to refer to the history of interpretation. It is important to know how the Bible has been interpreted in the past in order to interpret it effectively in the present. For ancient Christian commentary on the Bible, there is a wonderful set of commentaries available for Accordance and Logos:

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 29 Volume Set for Accordance

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 29 Volume Set for Logos

InterVarsity Press intends to publish a complementary series entitled Reformation Commentary on Scripture, which I will feature here as well. They have, though, already published three guides to ancient Christian commentary, especially suited for Protestant readers:

Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers by Christopher Hall

Learning Theology with the Church Fathers by Christopher Hall

Worshipping with the Church Fathers by Christopher Hall

Eerdmans has published two excellent volumes on the history of the Biblical Interpretation covering Jewish and Christian interpretation from the ancient periods through the Reformation:

A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period Edited by Alan Hauser & Duane Watson

A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 2: The Medieval through the Reformation Periods Edited by Alan Hauser & Duane Watson

For more advanced examination of Jewish/Rabbinic interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, I highly recommend:

Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking by Michael Fishbane

The Bible As It Was by James Kugel

The standard academic reference work on the history of Biblical Interpretation is an horrendously overpriced but truly impressive collaborative effort published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht:

Hebrew Bible Old Testament: The History of Its Interpretation I/1: Antiquity Edited by Magne Saebo

Hebrew Bible Old Testament: The History of Its Interpretation I/2: The Middle Ages Edited by Magne Saebo

Hebrew Bible Old Testament: The History of Its Interpretation II: From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment Edited by Magne Saebo

Biblical Criticism

Criticism is a term that can be uncomfortable for many people because of its negative connotations. Criticism conveys disapproval. The term, however, has a more generic meaning, that of serious examination and careful judgment. Biblical Criticism is the art of seriously and carefully examining the Bible. Since the Enlightenment, biblical scholars have developed a myriad of methods for conducting Biblical Criticism that bring the writer, text, and/or reader into sharper focus. Taking the plunge into Biblical Criticism can be very intimidating but there are many good resources that can ease you into some of the very productive and dynamic ways that scholars have developed for reading and studying the Bible effectively:

Hermeneutics: An Introduction by Anthony Thiselton Thiselton expertly introduces and covers the history of biblical criticisms.	Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach by W. Randolph Tate Introduces biblical criticisms and places emphasis on their complementary horizons.
Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner's Handbook by John Hayes & Carl Holladay Relatively short, very accessible introduction to biblical criticisms	To Each Its Own Meaning: An Introduction to Biblical Criticisms and Their Application by Steven McKenzie & Stephen Hayes Slightly more advanced, yet still accessible introduction to biblical criticisms.

Augsburg Fortress Press used to publish a wonderful series called Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Many of the titles are still available from Fortress Press and some have been republished by other publishers, mostly Wipf & Stock. I can not vouch for the entire series and they are somewhat dated now but I do know that the volumes covering Textual Criticism and Rhetorical Criticism are very good, and scholars such as David Petersen, Kent Richards, Susan Niditch, and James Sanders are recognized leaders in their field. In any case, the series provides relatively rare book length introductions to many of the different biblical criticisms in use today:

Modern scholarship has convincingly shown that most biblical texts were products of complex compositional processes that took place over approximately a thousand years. These processes are the subject of several biblical criticisms, of which source criticism has contributed some essential, foundational theories and insights. One of the most important of these theories is the Documentary Hypothesis, which holds that the Torah, consisting of the first five books of the Bible, was composed by four distinct writers or scribal schools, the Yahwists (J), the Elohists (E), the Deuteronomists (D), and the Priests (P). The support for this theory has been expertly developed by many scholars over the past couple of centuries. In particular, I highly recommend two resources as an introduction to the theory:

The Bible's Buried Secrets: Beyond Fact or Fiction by PBS Nova Outstanding documentary that clearly and carefully explains the history of the Torah and the Judean people

The Bible with Sources Revealed by Richard Friedman Provides a color-coded version of the Torah keyed to the sources and introduces the extensive internal evidence supporting the theory

Source criticism, however, has certainly indulged in excesses that should be tempered by a solid understanding of transmission history. There are many excellent resources on transmission history. The three most recent studies are impressive:

Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible by Karel van der Toorn

Writing on the Tablet of the Heart: Origins of Scripture and Literature by David Carr My personal favorite!

How the Bible Became a Book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel by William Schneidewind

There are many other books in the field of Biblical Criticism but these will certainly give you a solid introduction to the discipline and also a guide to classic and modern treatments of the types of criticisms and their aims. Each criticism examines the text in a different way and highlights important ideas that are useful and practical for reading and studying the Bible more effectively. These different perspectives also ensure that theological interpretations are founded on a much more comprehensive understanding of the trajectories of Scripture. An appreciation for biblical criticisms will undoubtedly help in Step Six: Theology and the Bible.