What do you think?
Rate this book
Reading the Old Testament, Revised and Expanded: Method in Biblical Study
One of the most reliable and helpful books on interpretive method is now available in a new and up-to-date edition. Firmly founded in the best scholarship, John Barton's Reading the Old Testament helps students to understand both the established methods of biblical study and the newer emerging trends.
294 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1984
4 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
John Barton
188 books57 followersJohn Barton is Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford. His publications include The Theology of the Book of Amos (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Oracles of God: Perceptions of Ancient Prophecy in Israel after the Exile (2007).
For the Canadian poet, see John Barton.
For the Canadian poet, see John Barton.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 17, 2021
This will be one I come back to over and over again, to remind myself of a few things: First, how the various critical methods interact with each other (while ironically claiming to be mutually exclusive). Second, how OT criticism interacts with literary criticism (something that ought to be considered by any serious reader of the Scriptures). And finally, how to approach each method with caution, recognizing that each method brings with it some very promising, and yet some very dangerous, assumptions.
May 16, 2025
Very clear, helpful, and funny at points. Barton is an excellent and learned writer. As a textbook, it is a bit dated, but I haven’t come across a more accessible entry point for twentieth century “critical” approaches to reading the OT. Paired with his excellent article on Intertextuality (“Deja Lu”), this will get you “up to speed” on current/recent trends in OT biblical studies, and how they interface with “secular” literary criticism.
February 17, 2009
If cognitive dissonance didn't formerly describe your state of mind, anyone who is at all interested in struggling through the perspectives and epistemological bases of literary methods of biblical study will find their mind not only being stretched, but given a thorough shakeup by Barton. The book is incredibly enlightening by showing the circularity of various arguments, the assumptions and contexts around which they are based, and their relation to one another, but also incredibly stupefying in that it gives multiple answers to the basic questions that a biblical scholar and student is trying to ask. Each answer and method discussed are seen to have positive and negative aspects. And yet not every answer and method can be retained coherently. It is almost a book on philosophy. Despite being primarily concerned with the description, function, and goals of various literary methodologies (Source Criticism, Form Crit., Redaction Crit., Canon Crit., Structuralism, and New Crit.), it constantly brings to the foreground fundamental questions that inform our conclusions (like how does one read a text? , what kind of literature, exactly, are biblical texts? , how do we know? , where does meaning come from? , can modern definitions adequately explain ancient texts? , does it even matter? , and so forth). If on the one hand, a person is lead to uncertainty about how best to make sense of basic questions about texts and meaning, on the other hand, this makes biblical study all the more exciting because it throws wide the gates of past and present understanding to progressive, refreshing horizons and unknown possibilities. Through the search for a better methodology (not necessarily the correct one ), the reader will find themselves not only viewing biblical texts in ways they never would have imagined, but rekindling the fire of their love for the literature. Two things I found immensely helpful were Barton's continual explication of how and why biblical study does not stand apart and alone from the rest of secular literary study and his basic proposal, which the entire book served to validate, that biblical study methods are not really part of the Sciences per say (although being modern, they make use of the scientific method), but are better described as part of the Humanities. The pitfall of this first edition is that it is not conversant with all the methods which have more recently come on scene such as Social-Scientific Criticism, Anthropological Crit., Post-Colonial Crit., Feminism, Reader-Response Crit., and so forth. Had the book been more up-to-date, it would have unquestionably earned the full five star rating (which I am not quick to render). If the second, updated edition displays the same constancy of erudition, Reading The Old Testament: Method in Biblical Study by John Barton would surely make the list of the most important or must-read introductory books on biblical study now available.
March 29, 2013
Worse than a rabid liberal who loves his methodology like an idol because it's new, or a conservative who loves his because it's old, is the moderate who never lands anywhere out loud. Barton decries every method of Biblical interpretation and ultimately lands nowhere with his support. But the man *reads* the Bible and things texts mean things, he just never shows his cards. For a book about how to read the Bible, you need a Ph.D in psychology to understand how to read Barton.
January 8, 2025
Need a book to read after the holiday? Tired of exciting adventure books? Looking for an alternative to a book about killer cannibals in a relationship that feed people to alligators? Then look no further than John Barton's Reading the Old Testament.
One of the biggest questions of my faith life has been about the Old Testament. I am fascinated by it and love reading it. It doesn't always make sense and we in the church have to grapple with how to read this portion of our Bible.
Barton examines various approaches of methodology. He covers source criticism, form criticism, canonical criticism, etc. For those who have been through seminary, this may be a retread of most of the ground you covered in Old Testament Intro, but diving back in might be a good practice. For those who have never had exposure to these methods, there might be a big shock in store.
Most of us probably don't think about reading. It is something we do. But the how question never fully comes to mind. We read newspapers (or we did...) and we intrinsically understand what we are reading and how to read it. The same is true for novels, or cook books, etc. It is part of our cultural competency that we can just understand what we are reading. If we are not English majors, perhaps we have never delved much into the world of literary criticism.
But Barton does just that. He invites us to think about our reading of the Old Testament. How should we read it. How should we approach the text? Is it even worthwhile to try to understand this library of ancient texts. Barton is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Oxford University so he is in a good place to help us navigate these complex waters.
Particularly helpful is Barton's use of Ecclesiastes as an example throughout the book. He reviews how various approaches make sense of the book and how these methods may affect our own reading of the text.
This book is a seminary level introduction book, so while the writing is clear, it is a technical book. Many readers may find it challenging, but if they put in the work, they will be greatly rewarded.
I highly recommend this book for pastors, clergy, and all interested in the Bible.
Grade: A
One of the biggest questions of my faith life has been about the Old Testament. I am fascinated by it and love reading it. It doesn't always make sense and we in the church have to grapple with how to read this portion of our Bible.
Barton examines various approaches of methodology. He covers source criticism, form criticism, canonical criticism, etc. For those who have been through seminary, this may be a retread of most of the ground you covered in Old Testament Intro, but diving back in might be a good practice. For those who have never had exposure to these methods, there might be a big shock in store.
Most of us probably don't think about reading. It is something we do. But the how question never fully comes to mind. We read newspapers (or we did...) and we intrinsically understand what we are reading and how to read it. The same is true for novels, or cook books, etc. It is part of our cultural competency that we can just understand what we are reading. If we are not English majors, perhaps we have never delved much into the world of literary criticism.
But Barton does just that. He invites us to think about our reading of the Old Testament. How should we read it. How should we approach the text? Is it even worthwhile to try to understand this library of ancient texts. Barton is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Oxford University so he is in a good place to help us navigate these complex waters.
Particularly helpful is Barton's use of Ecclesiastes as an example throughout the book. He reviews how various approaches make sense of the book and how these methods may affect our own reading of the text.
This book is a seminary level introduction book, so while the writing is clear, it is a technical book. Many readers may find it challenging, but if they put in the work, they will be greatly rewarded.
I highly recommend this book for pastors, clergy, and all interested in the Bible.
Grade: A
October 21, 2018
An excellent overview of a lot of the trends current in biblical studies at the time Barton wrote this book, appraising them honestly and generously. This was really helpful to me as someone who didn't know much about different types of literary criticism - if your background is just in Bible, not in literature, this will likely be an accessible and valuable resource for you too.
January 22, 2017
This was a good book delving into the theories behind various interpretative methods. I discuss it in greater detail on my blog:
https://seminary2016.wordpress.com/20...
https://seminary2016.wordpress.com/20...
October 31, 2022
This book is a must-read for any student of the Old Testament. There are other books out there like this one, but Barton blows most of them out of the water with his way of explaining critical methods in a very understandable way.
April 13, 2013
This book is a useful and beneficial read, but for a relatively specialized audience. I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not have a solid background in hermeneutics. I certainly would not recommend it for a lay reader. It will make little sense without some background in Biblical interpretation. Taken straight and without a context, it will prove ponderous at best, and damaging to one's faith at worst. Without a background in some of the issues and history, it can feel as if reading the Bible to gain any insight is a hopeless pursuit.
I would definitely recommend it for the seminary student who is looking for a solid introduction to the various methods of Biblical, and specifically, Old Testament, criticism. The book is, to be generous, uninterested in what we might call a conservative hermeneutic. While Barton does not land on a specific method and seeks to demonstrate the options, a conservative view of, say, Mosaic authorship is, for Barton, not possible. Where Barton is helpful is in taking us through the development of various methods of reading the Bible. For each, he suggests some background reading on the subject. After a discussion of each method, he applies these methods to a specific text (Ecclesiastes) to show how each works in practice. The methods he works with include Form, Redaction, Canonical, Structuralists, "New," and Reader Response Criticism.
What, you may ask, is the benefit for the conservative pastor or seminary student to be gained from reading a book that is somewhat antagonistic to the way we read the Scriptures while being agnostic on the rest? First, it helps one to see how the various methods of reading the Scripture developed. Secondly, it helps prevent a straw-man view of the various approaches. Given the presuppositions and what each movement is reacting against, one can see why and how they developed. Third, it makes one think about how the various methods can be appropriated in positive ways while rejecting the negative outcomes. This, of course, will take some serious engagement and thought, but if conservative Christians are to have a voice in the Scholarly world of Biblical Studies (which, I submit, we must), it is incumbent on us to understand the discussion and the methods applied to the Bible. This is hard work, and there will be much temptation to compromise, but we must be involved in these discussions, even if our voice largely falls on deaf ears. Fourth, it helps in engaging commentaries from a wide variety of perspectives. One could, of course, only read conservative commentaries, but there are excellent exegetes and linguists outside of Evangelical realm. This book gives one categories with which to engage such works and better helps the Evangelical pastor or student sift through the chaff to find the wheat. Finally, knowing the ways of reading the Bible that are current in scholarship will help us to engage those in our congregations who come from outside of Evangelicalism, and our children who engage these issues in university settings.
For some, Barton's book will be frustrating, but if the purpose of the book is kept in mind, I think it will prove beneficial. This is not meant to propose a method of biblical study, but to provide a survey of current opinion. For the student or pastor familiar with the issues and who would like to get a feel for the development, method, and application of the various approaches, Barton's book will prove beneficial and helpful.
I would definitely recommend it for the seminary student who is looking for a solid introduction to the various methods of Biblical, and specifically, Old Testament, criticism. The book is, to be generous, uninterested in what we might call a conservative hermeneutic. While Barton does not land on a specific method and seeks to demonstrate the options, a conservative view of, say, Mosaic authorship is, for Barton, not possible. Where Barton is helpful is in taking us through the development of various methods of reading the Bible. For each, he suggests some background reading on the subject. After a discussion of each method, he applies these methods to a specific text (Ecclesiastes) to show how each works in practice. The methods he works with include Form, Redaction, Canonical, Structuralists, "New," and Reader Response Criticism.
What, you may ask, is the benefit for the conservative pastor or seminary student to be gained from reading a book that is somewhat antagonistic to the way we read the Scriptures while being agnostic on the rest? First, it helps one to see how the various methods of reading the Scripture developed. Secondly, it helps prevent a straw-man view of the various approaches. Given the presuppositions and what each movement is reacting against, one can see why and how they developed. Third, it makes one think about how the various methods can be appropriated in positive ways while rejecting the negative outcomes. This, of course, will take some serious engagement and thought, but if conservative Christians are to have a voice in the Scholarly world of Biblical Studies (which, I submit, we must), it is incumbent on us to understand the discussion and the methods applied to the Bible. This is hard work, and there will be much temptation to compromise, but we must be involved in these discussions, even if our voice largely falls on deaf ears. Fourth, it helps in engaging commentaries from a wide variety of perspectives. One could, of course, only read conservative commentaries, but there are excellent exegetes and linguists outside of Evangelical realm. This book gives one categories with which to engage such works and better helps the Evangelical pastor or student sift through the chaff to find the wheat. Finally, knowing the ways of reading the Bible that are current in scholarship will help us to engage those in our congregations who come from outside of Evangelicalism, and our children who engage these issues in university settings.
For some, Barton's book will be frustrating, but if the purpose of the book is kept in mind, I think it will prove beneficial. This is not meant to propose a method of biblical study, but to provide a survey of current opinion. For the student or pastor familiar with the issues and who would like to get a feel for the development, method, and application of the various approaches, Barton's book will prove beneficial and helpful.
October 15, 2012
If you want an unbiased (ok, less biased) introduction to the classic Old Testament critical methods (source, form, redaction, canonical, etc.), John Barton is your man. He is less focused on the history of how they came about than he is on helping you know how they can be helpful in studying the Bible today. He explains how evangelicals fit into this arena, without being negative. Typical British scholar in that!
June 15, 2015
Terrific book for conservative evangelicals wanting to understand the method behind the madness of critical biblical studies. Barton overplays somethings when he characterizes source and form criticism as primarily a literary undertaking, but he does effectively make the point that source criticism does not necessarily equal the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis.
May 11, 2012
It is Barton who shows me what is the historical consciousness of modernity. Very informative and very inspiring. I admire his capacity of critical thinking in evaluating the different methodologies. He could have been equally critical of his own view.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews