Searching for Meaning: An Introduction to Interpreting the New Testament

by Paula Gooder

Publishers:

SPCK; Westminster John Knox

, 2009

Overview

Searching for Meaning introduces readers to the different methods used to interpret the New Testament. Top scholars give a short definition of a particular criticism, then Paula Gooder gives a practical example to demonstrate how that criticism can be applied to a biblical text.

A very broad range of methods are introduced, from traditional approaches such as source and historical criticism to the more modern methods such as feminist and liberation criticism. Readers will understand how different meanings and emphases can be drawn from a text depending upon the method of interpretation chosen. They will also be given the skills to start analyzing and examining texts for themselves in a meaningful and insightful way.

In the Logos edition of Searching for Meaning, you get easy access to Scripture texts and to a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Hovering over Scripture references links you instantly to the verse you’re looking for, and with passage guides, word studies, and a wealth of other tools from Logos, you can delve into God’s Word like never before!

Key Features

• Instruction on how to properly interpret the New Testament books
• Bibliographical references and indexes
• Suggestions for further reading

Contents

Top Highlights

“Feminist criticism interprets the Bible from a position which pays particular attention to gender issues as they affect women, both in the New Testament and in its interpretation.” (Page 135)

“Historical critical readings of the New Testament seek to illuminate the text by exploring the world in which the text came into being. It is important to recognize, however, that it also takes account of the differing settings in which the documents and their constituent sources were generated.” (Page 7)

“Source criticism of the Synoptic Gospels has been almost exclusively concerned with the resolution of the Synoptic problem, that is, how to account for the literary relationship that clearly lies behind the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.” (Page 28)

“The value of queer criticism is that it challenges our preconceptions about sexuality and gender, and reminds us that there are ways of understanding passages which talk about gender and sexuality other than the dominant heterosexual ones.” (Page 151)

“Theological interpretation is concerned with exploring the relationship of the New Testament to subsequent Christian theology and to understanding how it functions in worshipping communities.” (Page 120)

Praise for the Print Edition

This is a clearly written and extremely helpful introduction to many different approaches to the interpretation of the New Testament. Experts from around the world and across many disciplines contribute specialized explanations, while Paula Gooder’s excellent discussions apply each form of criticism to actual New Testament textual examples. It will become an indispensable tool and is greatly to be welcomed.

—Richard A. Burridge, professor, King’s College, London

No other primer in biblical criticism even comes close in terms of representing the actual multiplicity and diversity of contemporary biblical methodology and biblical scholars.

—Stephen D. Moore, professor, Drew University

Product Details

• Title: Searching for Meaning: An Introduction to Interpreting the New Testament
• Author: Paula Gooder
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 256

About Paula Gooder

Paula Gooder, a member of SPCK’s governing body, was a lecturer in biblical studies at Ripon College Cuddesdon and then at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Studies before becoming a freelance writer and lecturer. She is a visiting lecturer at King’s College London, an honorary lecturer at the University of Birmingham, a senior research scholar at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, and the Canon Theologian of Birmingham Cathedral.