“Richard Hays is arguably the most significant American New Testament scholar and theological interpreter of Scripture of the last half-century. Many of the essays in this wide-ranging collection have been groundbreaking and discipline-shaping. Each one is highly perceptive both exegetically and theologically, for those dimensions of interpretation merge seamlessly in these exemplary pieces of rigorous scholarship as Christian discipleship. For many years I have told students and colleagues to read everything that Richard Hays writes; accomplishing that satisfying task is now much easier.”
— Michael J. Gorman
St. Mary’s Seminary & University, Baltimore
“This fine collection of essays represents the work of an outstanding scholar at the top of his game—intellectually rigorous, wide-ranging, and full of profound reflections that will enrich all those engaged in the theological interpretation of Scripture.”
— John M. G. Barclay
Durham University
“Richard B. Hays opens this volume by modestly invoking Jesus’s parable about wheat and weeds growing together. But readers of Reading with the Grain of Scripture—and there will be many—will likely invoke a later line from Matthew 13: the scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven who ‘brings out of the treasure both what is new and what is old.’ Here we see both the abiding concerns of Hays’s career and their recent inflection in a volume that takes us across the canon of the New Testament and into the life of this fine interpreter. A most welcome contribution!”
— Beverly Roberts Gaventa
Baylor University
“This is a veritable feast for those of us who’ve followed Richard Hays’s work over the years. This collection of wide-ranging essays touches on all the major themes of Richard’s exegetical and theological work. A great introduction for those still unfamiliar, a deeper dive for the devoted followers.”
— Gary A. Anderson
University of Notre Dame
Christianity Today
“Like a masterful composer building a complex symphony, Hays artfully weaves together his writings, allowing the reader to hear recurring melodies that focus on Scripture as narrative, the unity of Scripture, reading Scripture within the community of faith, and the centrality of Jesus’ resurrection. . . . Ultimately, the book testifies to the complexity and coherence of the biblical story, sung by many voices but written by one author, God himself.”
CHOICE
“Hays discusses four general topics: unity and diversity in scriptural interpretation; interpreting the historical Jesus; interpreting the apostle Paul; and interpreting various themes in New Testament theology (e.g., Christology, law, eschatology). Throughout Hays assumes a ‘hermeneutic of trust’ that interprets, ultimately, based on the Christian message of the death and Resurrection of Jesus and thus avoids broad historical skepticism. The essays are generally theologically conservative, nontechnical, and accessible.”
The Expository Times
“In this retrospective of work produced over the last twenty-five years or more, Richard Hays brings together some of his key writings which seek to clarify what is meant by scriptural readings of the biblical texts. What would it be to read, say, Paul’s Letter to the Galatians as Scripture? How, if at all, would this differ from reading it as a historian of the Roman Principate, or indeed, a theologically committed historical critic? What precedents are there for such a mode of reading? These and many other questions are addressed with exemplary clarity and provide the reader with the opportunity to look hard at the proposal. Will this bring life and renewal to the church?”
Review of Biblical Literature
“Although Hays describes his work as the wheat among the weeds, its rich insights also make it ‘the treasure in the field’ for biblical scholars and pastors.”
Scottish Journal of Theology
“This volume pulls together a number of Hays’ previously published essays. Many of these may not have garnered the attention they deserve. Moreover, putting them in a single volume makes them more accessible.”
Modern Theology
“In the concluding essay in this volume, Hays writes, ‘The real work of interpretation is to hear the text. We must consider how to read and teach Scripture in a way that opens up its message, a way that both models and fosters trust in God’. . . . Throughout his academic career, Richard Hays has done exactly that for all who have engaged his writings. Reading with the Grain of Scripture is an invitation, once more, to learn from the wisdom of this faithful teacher.”