A Hermeneutic of Wisdom: Recovering the Formative Agency of Scripture - Paperback

by J. de Waal Dryden (Author)

This book develops an integrated hermeneutic that connects the Bible to spiritual formation and the development of Christian virtues. The author shows how the whole Bible can be understood as a wisdom text that directs its readers morally, shapes them in their deepest affections and convictions, and impacts how they look at the world and live in it. Offering an innovative hermeneutical approach, it will serve as an ideal supplement to standard hermeneutics textbooks.

Back Jacket

Dryden brilliantly synthesizes important truths and insights from sources as hoary as the Hebrew Bible and as fresh as Mark Sneed and Sandra Schneiders. Viewing wisdom as 'a practical knowledge lived out in concrete agency shaped by desire, ' Dryden plausibly claims the entirety of Christian Scripture as the locus of his shrewd and savvy reading enterprise. The biblical interpretation workplace today is littered with competing and broken methods. Dryden diagnoses the malaise and draws on classic sources from across the centuries to arrive at a fresh and innovative orientation fleshed out by helpful examples.
--Robert W. Yarbrough, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

"Modern biblical hermeneutics struggles to relate doctrine and ethics, meaning and application in a manner consistent with the Bible's own historical-literary shape and communicative ends. In identifying the Bible as a wisdom text, Dryden's A Hermeneutic of Wisdom offers an integrative approach that helps us better follow the grain of the biblical text while forming rightly ordered loves for God and neighbor."
--Scott R. Swain, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida

"In an age of many good books on hermeneutics, Dryden's A Hermeneutic of Wisdom truly stands out. Rarely have I encountered an author who so deeply understands and integrates epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and biblical studies. With fair critiques of both modernism and postmodernism, Dryden calls Christians to a thoughtful and faithful engagement with Scripture, not as an object but as God's revealed wisdom aiming at our spiritual formation. Highly recommended!"
--Jonathan T. Pennington, Southern Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

"Drawing on years of reflection on the formative agency of Scripture, Dryden makes a compelling case for the 'wisdom intentionality' of the whole Bible. Theologians and biblical scholars alike will need to reckon seriously with his central thesis, while pastors and seminarians will resonate with what is a remarkably commonsensical and ecclesial way of reading the Bible. If you want to become a wiser reader of Scripture--better yet, one whose reading bears the fruit of love--then take up and read this book!"
--Todd Wilson, senior pastor, Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, Illinois

Author Biography

J. de Waal Dryden (PhD, Cambridge University) is professor of biblical studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. He is the author of Theology and Ethics in 1 Peter: Paraenetic Strategies for Christian Character Formation and a forthcoming commentary on 2 Corinthians.