Description

Via B&H

The night of his arrest, Jesus spoke to his close followers about two testimonies that would focus on Him: the work of the Holy Spirit and their own personal accounts. Interpreting Gospel Narratives looks exclusively at the testimony given in the Gospels, exploring several ways to enrich our Gospel exegesis so that we may see Christ as clearly as possible.

Timothy Wiarda’s book is primarily how-to, discussing questions of the exegetical method that will help interpreters and expositors work with Gospel texts. He also discusses methodological questions relating specifically to the narrative material in the Gospels and focuses in on other fine details—the portrayal of individual characters, descriptive elements, the relation between theology and story, and more.

Timothy Wiarda. Interpreting Gospel Narratives. Scenes, People, and Theology. Nashville: B & H Academic, 2010. viii + 245 pp. $24.99.

In his book Interpreting Gospel Narratives, Timothy Wiarda seeks to spotlight the narrative material in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and challenge readers in their exegesis and exposition of this material. He does this by reexamining these stories for their character development, plot progression, and contextual organization. His goal is not to provide a new method of interpretation, but rather defend a “concrete reading” of the material and show the theological path the author was taking to present clear or nuanced theology.

Chapter 1 | Are Gospel Writers Interested in Individual Characters

Chapter 2 | Story and Theology: What is the Point?

Chapter 3 | Concrete Reading and Four Alternatives

Chapter 4 | Individuals and Other Interests

Chapter 5 | Individual Units and Whole Gospels

Chapter 6 | Some Hermeneutical Reflections