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Gospel-Centred Hermeneutics:  Biblical-theological foundations and principle,   Graeme Goldsworthy,  Nottingham:   Apollos,  2006,  341 pp.

This is an excellent treatment of a biblically based hermeneutics in a situation where interpretation has been influenced by modernism and postmodernism.  The author establishes the gospel as the basis for interpreting the Bible,   looks at the way such an approach has been attacked in the history of the church,   and finally proposes biblical theology centred in the gospel as the methodology of interpretation. 

In the opening section the gospel is defined in terms of grace alone,  Christ alone, Scripture alone and faith alone.  And the methodology of biblical theology  is established.   The gospel,   that is the person and work of Christ,   is understood to be the unifying theme of biblical theology. 

The second section looks at the undermining of such an understanding of the Bible in the history of the church    In the early church period there was,   for instance,   allegorization.  The medieval church used scholasticism which undermined Biblical interpretations.    Following this the Tridentine and modern Roman Catholic church and liberal theology are examined.   The author looks at postmodernism,  historical criticism and literary criticism.   Finally,  he examines  different tendencies within evangelicalism such as decisionism and subjectivism.   

The third section discusses the interaction between exegesis,  biblical theology and systematic theology.    The relationship between the two Testaments,  an essential factor in forming a biblical theology,  is dealt with along with typology.  Before his closing summary Goldsworthy looks at the role of contextualization in biblical theology and its impact on Bible translation.

The publication is extensive historically and theologically and as such will probably lead to a criticism of superficiality.   However such an overview is helpful.   It would have been appropriate to have had a section on the hermeneutical methods of the Emerging Church Movement.  It is notable that in the same year,  SCM published Biblical Hermeneutics which one of its authors, David Hogate,   describes as being an “An emergent approach to Biblical interpretation”.[1]   Comparing the two Bibliographies indicates that there are about twice as many books published since 2000 in Biblical Hermeneutics as in Gospel-Centred Hermeneutics.

Goldworthy’s approach is most useful in giving an overall perspective.  It’s strength is in utilizing biblical theology centred on Jesus Christ as an interpretative principle.

David E. C. Ford,  Profesor del Nuevo Testamento,  Fundación Universitaria Seminario Bíblico de Colombia, Medellín,  Colombia.