Book Review: “Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters” (By Donald A. McKim)

Donald A. McKim. Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009). 

This dictionary, formerly entitled Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters (1998), focuses on the work of many of the most significant biblical interpreters from Jesus to the beginning of the twenty-first century. More than one-hundred scholars contributed essays summarizing the life and works of approximately two-hundred persons who were included in the dictionary because they either made a novel contribution to, or left an indelible mark upon, the practice of biblical interpretation. 

This unique work begins with a one-hundred-page prefatory essay that surveys the history of biblical interpretation. Composed by six scholars with various expertise, the essay is designed to bring coherence to the host of entries in the main body of the work by drawing the reader’s attention to the issues, contributions, and movements that have characterized the various epochs of biblical interpretation. Accordingly, it offers a brief treatment of the patristic period, the Middle Ages, the reformation and post-reformation period, the enlightenment period, and the modern interpretive milieu in Europe and North America. The essay is understandably superficial but necessary and helpful in the context of this work. 

The articles cover a wide array of biblical interpreters and are generally informative and helpful for gaining a general view of an era or an interpreter. They include resources for further reading, and thus serve as a handy reference tool and a spring board for more substantial research.