The New Testament Around the World - by Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn (Paperback)

About the Book

Biblical scholars from a wide variety of contexts outside the West introduce students to global voices and explore how context impacts our interpretation of the New Testament.

Book Synopsis

As the church continues to expand and strengthen in non-Western contexts, it is increasingly important for students of the New Testament to be aware of how our global brothers and sisters exegete and apply Scripture. Even when we share a grammatical-historical approach with others, our interpretation of biblical texts is invariably affected by social location and cultural context, which influence the questions we ask of the text and how we apply it. Western readers can become aware of how our culture influences our interpretation by learning from others from different perspectives, including those whose experience may match the original audience more closely than our own.

This volume, ideal as a supplemental textbook for courses in the New Testament, brings together distinguished scholars from around the world with perspectives we might not typically encounter and includes some minority voices focused on life within the United States as well. Each contributor writes on a biblical book or group of books, and together they cover the whole New Testament. These authors expose students and pastors in the West to new questions and ways of reading familiar texts. The result is an eye-opening, spiritually enriching experience that will supplement and strengthen our own biblical interpretation.

From the Back Cover

Learning from Bible Interpreters around the World

Biblical scholars from a wide variety of contexts outside the West introduce us to global voices and explore how context impacts our interpretation of the New Testament.

"Kovalishyn takes us around the world in twenty-two chapters by twenty-two Bible interpreters. Familiar texts are discussed from unfamiliar perspectives, yielding new insights and deeper understandings for Western readers. These samples of 'situated exegesis' will be of interest to a broad audience, from pastors to students to scholars of hermeneutics. Highly recommended."
--Karen H. Jobes, Wheaton College (emerita)

"Whether we recognize it or not, we read and interpret the Bible from our own culture, experiences, and personal perspective. These global readings are a gift of learning for those who want to better understand culturally diverse interpretations of the New Testament."
--Nijay K. Gupta, Northern Seminary

"The excellent scholarly essays in this important book demonstrate the significance of contextual scriptural interpretation. Each chapter makes an important contribution, and the book as a whole is part of a seismic shift in the field of New Testament studies. I hope this volume is widely read by scholars and students alike."
--Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary's Seminary & University

"This is a book I've been waiting for. In it, we listen to and learn from scholars across the majority world. The insights are both fresh and compelling. I highly recommend this as a textbook for courses on the Bible."
--Jeannine K. Brown, Bethel Seminary

"Many works have tried to show how crucial it is to read the Bible through the eyes of other cultures, nationalities, and ethnicities besides white American ones, but few have succeeded as well as Kovalishyn and her cadre of authors. Highly recommended!"
--Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary (emeritus)

"This book truly is just as much a reformation as it is a revolution. An invaluable polycentric resource that forms a bridge between the ancient world and our modern global one."
--Allen Yeh, International Theological Seminary

About the Author

Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn (PhD, St. Andrews University) is associate professor of New Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her main scholarly focus is the Catholic Epistles, particularly James, as well as general historical and literary contexts of the New Testament. Kovalishyn coauthored a commentary on James for the ZECNT commentary series and is the author of numerous chapters and scholarly articles.