Reading Backwards

Reviews / Votes

Twenty-five years ago Richard Hays launched a quiet but highly effective revolution on how Paul read Israels scripture. Now he turns his attention to the four gospels, and we may confidently predict similar results. With his characteristic blend of biblical and literary scholarship, Hays opens new and striking vistas on texts we thought we knewand, particularly, on the early churchs remarkable belief in Jesus as the embodiment of Israels God. N.T. Wright, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, University of St Andrews Few people are better qualified than Hays to take us right inside the ways the Gospels interpret the Old Testament. And, as though that were not enough for one short book, his hermeneutical quest also delivers a christological result. He shows how, precisely in their reading of the Old Testament, each of the Gospels in its own distinctive way presents Jesus as the very embodiment of the God of Israel. Intertextuality and high christology turn out to be two sides of a coin. Richard Bauckham, Emeritus Professor, University of St Andrews Hays thesis is as simple as it is ground-shifting: that the Gospel writers portraits of Jesus depend on their hermeneutical appropriation of Israels Scripture. And his approach is disarmingly straightforward: a sympathetic reading of the Gospels calibrated to hear both explicit and implicit scriptural resonances. With transparent exegesis and lucid prose, Hays persuasively challenges some of the basic assumptions and arguments in modern biblical studies. Joel B. Green, Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary This is an exceptionally rich study, illustrating how early Christianity and, in particular, the four evangelists "read backwards" in their portrayal of Jesus' divine identity. -- Donald Senior, CP, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago -- The Bible Today This is a rich, rewarding, and challenging work. The main substance of Hays' argument is not only convincing but nourishing to Christian faith: many of Hays' readings undermine those of more skeptical scholars and align precisely with the instincts of faithful though not learned Christians. -- Bobby Jamieson, University of Cambridge -- Credo Magazine Reading Backwards is a wonderful book, offering the reader a succinct but potent experience with a contemporary and refined hermeneutical approach to Scripture that holds in tension critical and pre-critical sensibilities. -- Edward W. Klink III, Pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, Illinois -- Books at a Glance A masterpiece. -- Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary -- Books & Culture This book is such a gem that it may prove more widely influential than anything Hays has done yet. -- Jason Byassee, Senior Pastor at Boone United Methodist Church in North Carolina -- The Christian Century A beautiful book. -- Stephen Finlan -- Catholic Biblical Quarterly Reading Backwards successfully demonstrates that Jesus is indeed Israelas Lord incarnate. The genius of this short volume lies in Haysa deft appropriation of Old Testament texts in the Gospels. He pays attention to often overlooked details in specific Old Testament texts, teasing out some of the nooks and crannies, and then weaves these insights into the Gospels. The book not only demonstrates how the Evangelists read the Old Testament, it also serves as a model for us to do the same. -- Benjamin L. Gladd -- Reformed Faith & Practice: The Journal of Reformed Theological Seminary This is an encouraging, intriguing, and stimulating book. Readers who are interested in interpretation and in learning lessons from the Bible itself about the nature of interpretation will find this a valuable companion for their reflections. -- Church Times The strengths of Reading Backwards are obvious, and it will prove fruitful for anyone interested in Gospel studies, but also for studies in biblical theology and Christology more generally, as well as modern debates over what stratum of the Christian tradition first recognized Jesusa divinity. -- Nicholas G. Piotrowski -- Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Reading Backwards is an enormously enriching examination of the Christology of the four gospels. -- Sam Emadi -- Books at a Glance Hays has made an excellent study of this subject. His insights are rich and interpretations are clear. His style of writing is appealing and the illustrations he gives are truly convincing. Yes, the Old Testament teaches us how to read the Gospels and likewise the Gospels teach us how to read the Old Testament. -- Dominic Mendonca -- Revue Biblique Professor Hays is to be congratulated upon offering in this brief book a great deal more substantive scholarship than is provided in most books many times the length. -- Simon Gathercole -- Reformation21