Randolph Tate's Handbook for Biblical Interpretation is an indispensable reference for any student new to academic biblical studies. I have required the previous edition as a textbook for my biblical hermeneutics classes since its publication. Tate provides just the right amount of information for hundreds of terms that are the working vocabulary of biblical scholarship. The brief bibliographies point to the next level of depth for students ready to investigate further. For those who have been out of seminary for several years, Tate provides longer articles to introduce recent literary and agenda criticisms. No seminarian, seminary graduate, or graduate student of Bible should be without this work.
-Roger L. Hahn,
Willard H. Taylor Professor of Biblical Theology, Nazarene Theological Seminary
Hermeneutics has become a huge, difficult area in recent years, with a plethora of different methods, schools of thought, and divergent views on how it should be conducted. Tate's Handbook is an important resource for students and scholars who don't have time to keep up with the various movements and who find themselves confused by current shifts. It is an invaluable resource for serious biblical understanding.
-Grant R. Osborne,
author of The Hermeneutical Spiral
Confused about the difference between exegesis and eisegesis? Unclear about the 'hermeneutical spiral'? This A to Z reference book will be a handy guide for those students of biblical interpretation who long for clear, succinct definitions of terms and the various approaches. Tate models this after the classic Handbook to Literature, which has coached thousands of students in the difference between literary criticism, narrative criticism, reader-response criticism, and other techniques. His book, however, deals solely with methods of biblical interpretation, applying the various schools of thought to biblical hermeneutics. Particularly helpful are his explanations of contemporary approaches like mujerista theology (which merits a full six pages) and deconstructionism. No seminarian or biblical scholar should be without this easy-to-use reference work.
Publishers Weekly
This is an extremely helpful reference tool, and Tate deserves the gratitude of scholars, students, and lay readers alike for producing it.
-Steven L. McKenzie,
Review of Biblical Literature
The work covers a very wide range of topics...Entries that give straightforward definitions do not have bibliographies or references attached but those dealing with particular theories, processes, or concepts are provided with essential further references to allow the enquirer to pursue the topic further. There are numerous and extensive cross-references which make it much easier to find the necessary information, especially for the general reader who may not be familiar with the terminological structure of the disciplines involved...Each entry is clearly written and well structured, often with examples from Scripture to illustrate particular points...This book deserves to be considered as a useful tool for the non-religious library or scholar. It provides a wealth of valuable information about many aspects of the Bible, literary criticism, social and cultural anthropology, philosophy, and philology. For the religious-minded it gives the opportunity to find depth and greater understanding in many well-known and often over-played texts. As a scholarly work it stands with the giants in the field. Not only is it well written and excellently produced, but also the price is such that over-stretched library budgets can easily accommodate it to make it accessible to members of the general public. It should find a place on every academic library shelf and also in the most modest of private collections built up by pastors and general readers. Thoroughly to be recommended.
-Graham P. Cornish,
Emerald Reference Review
This is the most complete and up-to-date manual of biblical criticism. Very likely to be the authoritative standard resource on its subject, it is indispensable for everyone who seeks to understand why and how new types of literary criticism are developing into the leading paradigm of biblical studies. Highly recommended.
International Review of Biblical Studies
An extremely competent work and a valuable resource for both students and scholars.
-P. P. Jenson,
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
Tate has provided a helpful tool for beginning students as well as advanced graduates and even professors. The work is broad enough that it can be used in an array of disciplines whether they pertain to the areas of OT, NT, theology, linguistics, or philosophy of language. In addition, Tate maintains a difficult balance in being able to define terms accurately and many times concisely without being reductionistic or incoherent. So for the most part, a student can read a given article, be exposed to the fundamental usage of the word under consideration, and see how it coincides with other terms in the overall context of biblical and literary disciplines...If a student or professor is interested in staying up to date on hermeneutics as a philosophical and/or biblical discipline, having access to this work can definitely aid in that goal.
-Everett Berry,
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
This handbook should find its way into the library of every serious student of the Bible and could be used as a textbook for foundations courses in biblical studies.
-Edmund Kee-Fook Chia,
Teaching Theology and Religion
This is a useful handbook both for students and biblical scholars who need some guidance on navigating the terminological waters of the newer criticisms.
-Fred W. Burnett,
Religious Studies Review
