Epiphany: Discover the Delight of God's Word

Smith, a pastor and author of The End of the World...As We Know It, argues that serious interpretive study leads to a reinvigorated appreciation of the Bible in this fine primer. He draws on literary theory and Bible scholarship to explore several interpretive frameworks, including a modified New Criticism and""reader response theory,"" that can illuminate the cultural, historical and stylistic contexts that shape the Bible's""multiple meanings."" Writing in a straightforward, jargon-free style, he gives sophisticated but engaging glosses on a number of Bible passages; particularly good are his analyses of the Book of Esther's muted feminine challenge to male arrogance and Ecclesiastes's almost""cynical existentialist"" tone. Although he cites lit-crit luminaries like Umberto Eco and Stanley Fish, Smith is a conservative Christian, writing to help guide fellow evangelicals in their Bible study. He has a due respect for tradition, fences with Marxist, feminist and deconstructionist critics whom he feels try to impose a political agenda on the Bible, and insists that analysis not cloud the Bible's spiritual truths. At the same time, he warns against the excesses of""hyperliteralism,"" which can result in false readings and a focus on""obscure prophecies"" ostensibly born out in world events. To""claim we have arrived at the only true reading of the Bible is the height of egoism and sinful pride."" Combining intellectual depth with Christian devotion, Smith's treatment takes the Bible seriously as literature and as Scripture.