"James K. A. Smith, in this book, cogently surveys contemporary hermeneutical discussion, identifying three traditions and how they understand interpretation: a present immediacy model, an eschatological immediacy model and a violent mediation model." "Questioning the foundational assumption that these models share, Smith deftly draws on and reworks Augustine's biblical understanding of the goodness of creation to propose a creational-pneumatic model of hermeneutics."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this provocative book James K. A. Smith, one of the most engaging Christian scholars of our day, offers an innovative approach to hermeneutics. The second edition of Smith's well-received debut book provides updated interaction with contemporary hermeneutical discussions and responds to criticisms.

The sin narratives of Genesis 3 and 4 have been scrutinized by biblical interpreters throughout the centuries. Some exegetical traditions have separated the story of Cain-Abel from the preceding Edenic narrative, thus undermining the unity of the Primeval History. The book synthesizes the sin narratives of Adam-Eve and Cain-Abel and examines a wide range of premodern biblical interpretations attesting to their literary and theological unity. This study makes a case for reading these primordial narratives as one familial saga that conveys to the reader the origins of human defiance against God.

What does the Bible teach about gender roles? Is there a difference as seen in Scripture? Understanding the debate over biblical feminism is essential to answering the questions about the role of women in the church. In this book, Dr. Cottrell "stands squarely in the path of the evangelical feminists who want to prove that the Bible agrees with their egalitarian views" (Clark H. Pinock, Ph.D., McMaster Divinity College). Lightning Print On Demand Title.

Offers a constructive and corrective reading of a wide range of interpreters: Augustine, Luther, Gadamer, and more.

What does it mean for the Christian doctrine of the Fall if there was no historical Adam? If humanity emerged from nonhuman primates—as genetic, biological, and archaeological evidence seems to suggest—then what are the implications for a Christian understanding of human origins, including the origin of sin? Evolution and the Fall gathers a multidisciplinary, ecumenical team of scholars to address these difficult questions and others like them from the perspectives of biology, theology, history, Scripture, philosophy, and politics CONTRIBUTORS: William T. Cavanaugh Celia Deane-Drummond Darrel R. Falk Joel B. Green Michael Gulker Peter Harrison J. Richard Middleton Aaron Riches James K. A. Smith Brent Waters Norman Wirzba

"This book is a careful, historical demonstration of the way in which hermeneutics was secularized yet continues to borrow on the capital of Christian theology. By exposing the problems inherent in secular hermeneutics and correcting the histories of philosophical hermeneutics on record, Zimmerman points a way forward beyond secular hermeneutics. This is a bold project that should be read not only by theologians but, more especially, by those philosophers working in the wake of Heidegger, Gadamer, Derrida, and Levinas. This book is an excellent addition to any course in philosophical hermeneutics." -- James K. A. Smith, author of The Fall of Interpretation "In Recovering Theological Hermeneutics, Zimmerman offers a compelling argument for the claim that hermeneutics must be theological if it is to be truly hermeneutical. Through a fair and careful reading of premodern and postmodern hermeneutical theorists, he shows their true kinship. Building appreciatively (though not uncritically) upon insights of Gadamer, Levinas, and Derrida, Zimmerman draws from Bonhoeffer and Balthasar to construct an incarnational hermeneutic. Zimmerman provides us with a deeply Christian view of human understanding--one that results in nether hermeneutical triumphalism nor hermeneutical despair but affirms understanding as relational, historical, and ultimately based on God's revelation." --Bruce Ellis Benson, author of Graven Ideologies: Nietzsche, Derrida, and Marion on Modern Idolatry "Recovering Theological Hermeneutics is an important contribution to hermeneutics. Zimmerman provides not only a detailed and convincing historical analysis but also an outline of theological hermeneutics that is ethical, incarnational, and thus, in the best sense of the word, truly evangelical. Far from naively idealizing a premodern point of view, Zimmerman convincingly works through modern and postmodern thought. In so doing, he shows the often-overlooked potential of the premodern Christian tradition without ignoring its difficulties and shortcomings--a challenge to both modern and postmodern theology and, indeed, philosophy." --Holder Zaborowsky, Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg