Interpreting The Bible
A Popular Introduction To Biblical Hermeneutics
Terence J. Keegan, O.P.

How Does One Understand And
Interpret The Bible?

This question has challenged people continuously over the ages. Various new approaches to biblical hermeneutics have arisen especially during the past two decades. Three recent methods include structuralism, reader-response criticism, and canonical criticism.

Interpreting The Bible provides a simple, easy to read explanation of these three current developments in critical biblical studies. Explanations of these highly complex methodologies are facilitated by the author's use of charts, diagrams, and numerous biblical passages.

Structuralism, reader-response criticism, and canonical criticism share a common emphasis on the role of the reader in the interpretive process. The author traces the importance of this perspective throughout the history of biblical interpretation and concludes with a chapter on the potential impact of these new methods on the relationship between Scripture and the Church. This book provides an excellent tool for anyone interested in modern critical study of the Bible.

Fr. Terence J. Keegan, O.P., a member of the Dominican Order, is presently an associate professor of Religious Studies at Providence College, Rhode Island. He received his licentiate from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, his diploma from Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, and his doctorate fro the Angelicum University in Rome. Fr. Keegan has written numerous articles on New Testament topics, has published A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, and was a major contributor to the recently published work, Christian Biblical Ethics. As an active member of the Catholic Biblical Association he regularly contributes papers at the annual meetings and is currently a member of the task force on Narrative Criticism.