In recent years, several significant hermeneutical studies have attempted to take account of the importance of postmodern philosophy for theology and biblical interpretation. Jens Zimmermann's work stands out, however, in that it includes a detailed and sympathetic reading of the pre-critical hermeneutical tradition as well. Before considering the postmodern critique of theological hermeneutics, Zimmermann considers the Reformation tradition. He surveys the interpretative systems of Calvin and Luther and then turns to consider the particular importance of German Pietism and English Puritanism. He suggests that these movements were unique in their ability to combine social impact and eschatological vision. In the second section, the author looks at the process of secularization (particularly through the work of Kant and Schleiermacher) and the resulting loss of transcendence and ethics. This shift prepared the way for postmodern critics such as Jacques Derrida, Emmanuel Levinas, and John Caputo. In particular, Zimmermann argues that postmodern philosophers fail to understand fully the tradition they are rejecting, and despite their denials, their own approach continues to make assumptions that are fundamentally theological in nature. The third section maps an alternative approach, drawing particularly on the thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Zimmermann suggests that a hermeneutic informed by the doctrines of the incarnation and the Trinity can respond to many of the criticisms of postmodernism. This book provides an excellent introduction to an important range of authors and ideas. While Zimmermann takes contemporary critiques of Protestant hermeneutics seriously, he also provides a cogent and compelling response, affirming that there remains much that can be 'reappropriated' from the Reformation tradition. Students and scholars of hermeneutics, philosophy, theology, and intellectual history will appreciate this work.
