In this book, James Aageson likens interpretation to a conversation and uses Paul as a model for illustrating this. In Paul's case, interpretation is a conversation between two people, Paul and scripture. Aageson gives four case studies of Paul conversing with scripture: Paul's use of Abraham texts, his understanding of Israel, his use of the figure of Adam, and his seeing Christ as a figure by which all traditions are understood in new ways.

In The Beginning: Critical Concepts for the Study of the Bible is not an introduction to biblical content in the traditional sense. This text asks students to think like critical biblical interpreters. Each essay presents important questions about the Bible and the complex nature of biblical interpretation and provides each student with the means to address these questions with skill and sophistication. These essays are neither exhaustive treatments of the respective topics nor are they intended to answer all of the questions surrounding the topics. To provide a foundation for future...