The book you are holding is a small museum. On its pages hang portraits of Christianity's "masters of the sacred page": Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine of Hippo, Benedict of Nursia, Maximus Confessor, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and Charles Wesley. Other, surprising figures also appear: Shakespeare, Washington, and Lincoln. How did these great thinkers interpret Scripture? What might their diverse approaches teach today's readers of the Old and New Testaments? What's missing in contemporary biblical interpretation that an awareness of the history of exegesis might complete? Join Clifton Black...

Christians have been interpreting Scripture with an aim of deepening their life with God and each other from the very beginning of the church. The past twenty years or so have witnessed an explosion of scholarly writing devoted to the theological interpretation of Scripture. Stephen Fowl, as an active participant in and contributor to the burgeoning literature, has written an ideal companion for guests at the ""large and somewhat chaotic party,"" introducing them to important people, texts, and issues. The companion explores some of the connections between the long-running and essential...