Taught by God: Ancient Hermeneutics for the Modern Church

by Brandon D. Smith

Publisher:

B&H Academic

, 2024

Overview

In Taught by God, historical theologian and New Testament scholar Brandon D. Smith invites evangelicals to rediscover the early church’s approach to Bible interpretation, not just as a historical relic but as a vibrant means of understanding the Bible today. Chapters devoted to each of fourfold senses the earliest believers saw in Scripture—literal, spiritual, moral, and anagogical—introduce the respective sense, provide historical examples and guidance on how to employ it responsibly, and demonstrate its use on sample passages.

Key Features

• Invites evangelicals to rediscover the early church’s approach to Bible interpretation
• Explores the fourfold senses the earliest believers saw in Scripture
• Provides historical examples

Praise for the Print Edition

We should read Scripture not simply to collect information or find moral guidance but to encounter the living God. In Taught by God, Brandon Smith shows how the greatest interpreters of the Bible from the past mobilized certain sensibilities to experience God in and through the text. As we discover how to retrieve these sensibilities today, the result is not a servile deference to the past but balanced wisdom for the church’s future. Highly recommended.

—Matthew W. Bates, professor of theology, Quincy University

What do figures such as Irenaeus, Chrysostom, Augustine, and Aquinas have to do with Martin Luther, John Calvin, and William Tyndale? When it comes to scriptural interpretation, Brandon Smith demonstrates that the answer is: much in every way! Smith overthrows the myth of Reformers who turned their backs upon the church’s traditional biblical exegesis, and he offers concrete examples of the interpretation of specific biblical texts. Warmly recommended!

—Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

It is such a delight to see the movement to retrieve a theological and ecclesial reading of the Bible come into maturity. Brandon Smith’s accessible and balanced work invites us to appreciate and practice reading Holy Scripture with wise, ancient sensibilities that show our long-standing communion with the saints.

—Jonathan T. Pennington, professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Taught by God: Ancient Hermeneutics for the Modern Church
• Author: Brandon D. Smith
• Publisher: B&H Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 160
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible › Criticism; God; Christianity
• Resource ID: LLS:TGHTGDMDRNCHRCH
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-19T19:13:04Z

About Brandon D. Smith

Brandon D. Smith (PhD, Ridley College, Melbourne) is assistant professor of theology and New Testament at Cedarville University. He is also on the board of directors for the Center for Baptist Renewal and host of the Church Grammar podcast.