Primer on Biblical Methods

Course instructors considering a book for adoption will be provided a complimentary copy.
$16.95
Digital Books

“I found Primer on Biblical Methods helpful because it presented in a linear form, with simplicity but with accuracy, some of the more important and useful methods for studying the Bible. My students also found it readable and helpful as they were tackling with me the material for my course, “’Reading the New Testament.’ Ms. Carvalho has a clear understanding of the difficulty today’’s college students encounter in reading and appreciating sacred texts. She is aware of the lack of basic preparation at earlier stages of their education, but she offers tools to help students of the Bible to properly read, understand, and enjoy the sacred texts.”

Rev. Michael Costanzo
Religious Studies
St. John Fisher College

Primer on Biblical Methods is the work of a master teacher. Corrine Carvalho’’s book is not only thorough, moving all the way from source to postmodern criticism, but blessedly clear. Examples, questions, and exercises ensure that the reader understands each section. This work will be helpful for students approaching the complexity of biblical interpretation for the first time and also for professors who have been searching for ways to explain the intricacies of our task with clarity and simplicity.”

Irene Nowell, OSB, PhD
Benedictine of Mount St. Scholastica
Atchison, Kansas

““I have been looking for something like this book for years. In the past it has been necessary to cobble together a packet of articles so that students would have access to information about various approaches to reading and interpreting the Bible. This book puts all these things into one book that will be read and reread, consulted and cross-referenced. “Carvalho’’s familiarity with questions asked by today’’s students enhances the Primer on Biblical Methods.  .  .  .  .  She incorporates examples from a contemporary perspective in a lively and engaging manner. Students don’’t have to pick up a heavy tome and plow through unnecessary technical terminology. Carvalho turns exotic terminology into interesting stuff! It is a model of engaging erudition.””

Chris Franke
Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN

“Corrine Carvalho’’s Primer on Biblical Methods is just what I’’ve been seeking, a book that will get students to read their Bible and not read it for them. Primer on Biblical Methods doesn’’t presume too much of students as it provides focused discussion on various methodological viewpoints. I like the questions and exercises the text provides. I can also supplement the Primer with other material without overburdening my students, most of whom are not religion majors.”

Peter Judge
Chair, Philosophy and Religious Studies
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC

Primer on Biblical Methods is a practical, user-friendly guide to the essential methodologies of contemporary biblical studies. I commend Prof. Carvalho for this elegant overview that does not overwhelm but rather provides students with a solid foundation in the principles of exegesis and biblical interpretation. Instructors will find this introduction to methodologies well written and rich with information. Examples from biblical texts and exercises help students grasp the applications of modern and post-modern methodologies. I recommend Primer on Biblical Methods as an invaluable resource for students of Scripture at any level.”

Kelley Coblentz Bautch
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
St. Edward's University
Austin, TX

About This Book

Overview

Designed to Introduce College Students to the Major Methods of Scriptural Interpretation

Primer on Biblical Methods surveys a range of critical methods in order to help students become better readers of biblical texts. This text introduces students to the Scriptures, major methods of scriptural interpretation, and key forms of scriptural analysis. Each chapter includes exercises for students to practice a specific method, applying it to both Old and New Testament examples. Chapters may be used in tandem or alone, allowing instructors to choose the material most useful to them.

Details

Weight 0.3 lbs
Dimensions 5.375 × 1.5 × 8.25 in
Format

Softcover

Print ISBN

978-1-59982-015-6

Pages

108

Item # 7025

Customer Reviews

“I found Primer on Biblical Methods helpful because it presented in a linear form, with simplicity but with accuracy, some of the more important and useful methods for studying the Bible. My students also found it readable and helpful as they were tackling with me the material for my course, “’Reading the New Testament.’ Ms. Carvalho has a clear understanding of the difficulty today’’s college students encounter in reading and appreciating sacred texts. She is aware of the lack of basic preparation at earlier stages of their education, but she offers tools to help students of the Bible to properly read, understand, and enjoy the sacred texts.”

Rev. Michael Costanzo
Religious Studies
St. John Fisher College

Primer on Biblical Methods is the work of a master teacher. Corrine Carvalho’’s book is not only thorough, moving all the way from source to postmodern criticism, but blessedly clear. Examples, questions, and exercises ensure that the reader understands each section. This work will be helpful for students approaching the complexity of biblical interpretation for the first time and also for professors who have been searching for ways to explain the intricacies of our task with clarity and simplicity.”

Irene Nowell, OSB, PhD
Benedictine of Mount St. Scholastica
Atchison, Kansas

““I have been looking for something like this book for years. In the past it has been necessary to cobble together a packet of articles so that students would have access to information about various approaches to reading and interpreting the Bible. This book puts all these things into one book that will be read and reread, consulted and cross-referenced. “Carvalho’’s familiarity with questions asked by today’’s students enhances the Primer on Biblical Methods.  .  .  .  .  She incorporates examples from a contemporary perspective in a lively and engaging manner. Students don’’t have to pick up a heavy tome and plow through unnecessary technical terminology. Carvalho turns exotic terminology into interesting stuff! It is a model of engaging erudition.””

Chris Franke
Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN

“Corrine Carvalho’’s Primer on Biblical Methods is just what I’’ve been seeking, a book that will get students to read their Bible and not read it for them. Primer on Biblical Methods doesn’’t presume too much of students as it provides focused discussion on various methodological viewpoints. I like the questions and exercises the text provides. I can also supplement the Primer with other material without overburdening my students, most of whom are not religion majors.”

Peter Judge
Chair, Philosophy and Religious Studies
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC

Primer on Biblical Methods is a practical, user-friendly guide to the essential methodologies of contemporary biblical studies. I commend Prof. Carvalho for this elegant overview that does not overwhelm but rather provides students with a solid foundation in the principles of exegesis and biblical interpretation. Instructors will find this introduction to methodologies well written and rich with information. Examples from biblical texts and exercises help students grasp the applications of modern and post-modern methodologies. I recommend Primer on Biblical Methods as an invaluable resource for students of Scripture at any level.”

Kelley Coblentz Bautch
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
St. Edward's University
Austin, TX

About the Author

Corrine L. Carvalho

Corrine Carvalho is professor of theology and director of the University of Saint Thomas’ Luann Dummer Center for Women. She has also taught at Florida State University, where she received the Teaching Incentive Program Award, and was nominated for the University Teaching Award and the Superior Liberal Studies Honors Teacher Award. The recipient of several grants and fellowships for her research and the author of numerous articles on biblical literature and history, Corrine serves as president of the Society of Biblical Literature’s Upper Midwest Region, is active in the Catholic Biblical Association, and is a member of the National Association of Women in Catholic Higher Education. Her research interests focus on Israelite prophecy, Israelite religion, ancient Near Eastern religions, and the history of biblical interpretation. Dr. Carvalho received her PhD from Yale University, where she specialized in Old Testament studies, and her master’s degree from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

Table of Contents

A Quick Guide to Biblical Interpretation

  • The World Behind the Text
  • The World of the Text
  • The World the Text Creates
  • The History of Biblical Interpretation

For Further Reading

Index

 

 

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