Elements of Biblical Exegesis A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers

Stephen M. Vantassel, Tutor at King's Evangelical Divinity School and editor of the Evangelical Review of Theology and Politics, reviews Dr. Michael J. Gorman's 2020 book, Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers by Baker Press. Stephen explains that the book's strength lies in detailing the process of writing an exegesis paper. Many students struggle sifting the important from the interesting. Gorman's work provides useful tips. In addition, Gorman defines various interpretive points of view so that students have a way to understand the various interpretative stances they will encounter in the theological literature. Gorman's approach is more in tune with mainline denominational exegesis, while still maintaining a high respect for scripture. While I still like Walter Kaiser's, Towards An Exegetical Theology better for the mechanics of exegesis, Gorman's book is better for students struggling to write the paper.