—Reflecting  “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth”

Anna Zhou

It originated from the Sunday Sermon of January 9, 2023. Rev. Juta Pan mentioned the Bible study reference: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by G. D. Fee and D Stewart (“How to”).  His sermon provoked me to ask Mrs. Irene Chang for help. She borrowed the book from the church library and mailed it with a hand-written letter.  The Spirit’s reminder of my teacher’s encouragement in sincerity had been with me every so often, so I would not dare to be lazy. I read about 5 pages per day with notes after my daily Quiet Time. As I finished its 300+ pages, yet still felt in debt. Thus, I have decided to write this short review to express thanks to its authors and translator, our pastor and teacher, wishing to share the book with readers for them to discover the treasure, seeking the scripture for all its worth.

The book “How to” was authored by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stewart. Both are well-known senior Bible scholars, professors and pastors. Gordon D. Fee New Testament Professor of Regent College, Canada. His publications: Old Testament Exegesis: A Primer for Students; New Testament A Handbook for Students and Pastors;  Chief Editor: New International Commentary On the New Testament; Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (NICNT);1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (NIBC).

Co-author: Douglas Stewart, Old Testament Professor of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. His publications: Old Testament Exegesis: A Primer for Students, Hosea-Jonah Word Biblical Commentary, Word Biblical Themes Hosea-Jonah, Ezekiel. Communicator’s Commentary, A Guide to Selecting and Using Bible Commentaries.

Overview:

The two authors wrote two widely accepted Bible manuals “New Testament Exegesis” and “Old Testament Exegesis published by Westminster Press”. They co-authored this book and it should be regarded as the most valuable reference for Bible study. Two translators Wei and Rao are fluent writers. The former was once the author’s student majoring in New Testament study, so would be the choice of the translator.  Among numerous published Bible literature, one could hardly find some good ones authored by serious Bible scholars like them.

The authors intended the book “How to” to feature four aspects:

1. As one may note from a glance at the table of contents, the basic concern of this book is the understanding of different types of the literature (genre) that make up the Bible. It is to help the readers read and study the Psalms as poems, and the Epistles as letters.
2. They have repeatedly given guidelines for studying each type (genre) of Scripture.  They are equally concerned with the intelligent reading of the Scripture to help the readers appreciate these differences so that they can aid intelligently and profitably the non-narrative parts of the Bible.

3. Each chapter gives examples for analysis on the tough points, according to respective literature types. The two professors are believers, who think we should obey the biblical texts and have great desire to understand as carefully and as fully as possible what it is that we are to know about God and his will in the 21st century.
4. The great urgency that gave birth to this book is hermeneutics; they wrote especially to help believers wrestle with questions of applications.  Many of the urgent problems in the church today are basically struggles with bridging the hermeneutical gap with moving from “then and there” of the original text to the “here and now of our own life settings”.

The content of this book contain three parts:

1. The authors intended to provide students with basic concepts and knowledge of hermeneutics with necessary and basic skill sets to interpret the Bible, with introduction and comparison of different translation versions. These are the contents of the first two chapters.  
2. They used the next ten chapters, Ch. 3 to 10, to discuss individual literature types of the scripture. Based on their respective expertise, Gordon Fee wrote the Chapters 1-4, 6-8, and 13. Douglas Stewart the Chapters 5, 9-12.
3. They thought the secret is to raise the correct questions, according to each literature type, paying attention to the principles, suggestions and helping points, provided by the authors in individual chapters.

For their encouragement to students, they quoted the words of the child that moved Augustine to read a passage from Romans at his conversion experience, they say, “Tolle, lege”, i.e  “Take up and read.” The Bible is God’s eternal living Word. Read it, understand it, and obey it.

Its content structure contains three parts:

Part I. Introduction: Explain the importance of the exegesis and the hermeneutics. And, generally introduce some key concepts.  These two chapters are preparing basic concepts and essential tool boxes.

Ch.1. Introduction: The Need to Interpret the Scripture
Ch. 2. The Basic Tool: A Good Translation

Part II. On Choosing A Translation: Discussions to help students choose a translation, and the authors gave their suggestion that the current NIV (2011), a committee translation by the best scholarship in the evangelical tradition is as good a translation as you can get.  Reflected in the third preface, they felt other chapters needed some overhaul as well. This reflected their own growth and what they perceived to be a change in the climate and makeup of the readership over the past two decades. They were humbled about their background where poor interpretation of Scripture was unfortunately a frequent phenomenon. That caused them in some chapters to lean heavily toward how NOT to read certain genres. Their sense is that many of today’s readership know less about these poor ways of “doing Bible”, in part because we are also going through a period where we find a frighteningly large number of people who, by and large, are biblically illiterate. So in some chapters , they changed decidedly toward how to read well, with less emphasis on the ways texts were abused in the past.

Part III. Introduction: The Principles of Interpreting the Scripture, according to its Literature Type. In Part III much time was spent to take study notes of individual scripture examples, needed in detail, in the past several months. Briefly, it divided in 10 sections:

1. The Epistles (Ch.3,4): Learning to Think Contextually；The Hermeneutical Questions
2. The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use
3. Acts (Ch.6) : The Question of Historical Precedent
4. The Gospels (Ch.7): A Story Many Dimensions
5. The Parables (Ch.8): Do you Get the Point
6. The Laws (Ch.9): Covenant Stipulations for Israel
7. The Prophets (Ch.10): Enforcing the Covenant in Israel
8. Psalms (Ch.11): Israel’s Prayer and Ours
9. Wisdom (Ch.12): Then and Now
10. Revelation (Ch.13): Images of Judgment and Hope

Appendix: The Evaluation and Use of Commentaries

Scripture Index and Names Index

Summary: 

This book “How to” the Bible reading guide is among the best sellers for over four decades. It outlines different types of literature. It explained individual type’s interpreting principles and applications.  Poetry reading differs from prose. Even reading the Book of Gospel, how we should properly understand the same story in some different narrative. Each chapter provided a real example’s analysis, to help readers to really learn how to interpret the Scripture, Appendix: The Evaluation and Use of Commentaries helps to get the important reference for each Bible volume. I am eager to recommend this outstanding book to readers. Once I read the first few pages, I ordered its original English version, the 4^th edition published in 2013. The 4^th edition has sold out nearly a million copies since.  I completed reading it with 50-page notes in a few months. I really enjoy studying the Bible with new ways to go deeper in understanding God’s Word in love, for knowing Him better to worship and serve our Lord and His beloved.

As a serious reader and practitioner, I felt that the book explains difficult points somewhat insufficiently but rather significantly. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon-these books may not be used as gospel doctrine, as the scripture abuse was mentioned in the 3^rd preface. I realized that the authors had sensed that and but not yet got the chance to elaborate, considering his senior age with extremely heavy responsibilities. 

Finally, please allow me to end this book review with Gordon Fee’s writing. As a New Testament scholar on fire, he believed Scripture was an encounter with God. He wrote, “We bring our exegesis to fruition when we ourselves sit with unspeakable wonder in the presence of God, we must hear the words with our hearts, we must bask in God’s own glory, we must be moved to a sense of overwhelming awe at God’s riches in glory, we must think again on the incredible wonder that these riches are ours in Christ Jesus, and we must then worship the living God by singing praises to His glory.” 

Reader Response: “How to Read the Bible” Is An Excellent Bible Reading Companion (Lance Pan)

“How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” impacted my understanding of the Bible beyond description. For example, in Chapter 9 the authors offer a 12-point summary of the dos and don’ts when Christians seek to understand the Old Testament law. These practical principles help us ward off legalism stemming from erroneous applications of Scriptures, and let us realize that through the Holy Spirit we are adopted to sonship in God’s family, and not as slaves living in fear (Romans 8:15).

 I agree with the reviewer’s views on Bible translations and the book’s editions. The first edition of the book was published in 1981, republished in 1993, the third in 2003, and fourth in 2014. 讀經的藝術, published by CES in 1999, was based on the second edition. In 2011, Shanghai People’s Publishing House published an updated translation titled 聖經導讀：解經原則 based on the third edition and adding a third translator, Wang Ailing, after the two translators Wei Qiyuan and Rao Xiaozhen. The preface to the fourth edition (English) states that in just over 10 years from 2003 to 2014, in addition to an updated bibliography, it incorporated the new International Version 2011 English Translation of the Bible. The authors stress their preference for reading the Bible like any other book, which is to ignore chapter and verse references and read through a whole book in one setting. As a member of the translation committee for NIV, Professor Fee incorporated some of the principles from How to Read the Bible in his translation process.

I find it appropriate to refer to the book as a “Bible Reading Guide” or a “Bible Reading Companion.” Biblical Interpretation of Biblical Exegesis sounds out of reach for ordinary readers. Although in a broad sense it is closer to the realm of hermeneutics (what the text means to the contemporary reader) rather than exegesis (the text’s original meaning), calling it a work of hermeneutics may also create an impression that it is a tool only for theologians and preachers, not lay believers. Since its greatest contribution lies in its plain language explanations of hard-to-understand concepts, calling it a reading guide or companion seems to be more in line with the authors’ original intent.

 A complete course material on “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” is available online. Many churches use it as a Sunday school textbook in introductory Bible teaching classes. May the Lord use it to equip CBCGB members, so that we may understand how God conveys His unchanging message of truth and love to the changing world.