Methodological Developments in Biblical Exegesis: Author – Text – Reader

Three phases can be distinguished in the development of exegesis. In the first phase, the focus is on the (historical) author. This is reflected in the historical-critical exegesis. In the second phase, the text is central. Regarding this, the interest in the study of grammar, the narratological and (de)structuralist text-approach, as well as the socalled canonical approach can all be situated. In the third and final phase, the communication in the text with the reader is central. This concerns various reader-oriented approaches, from psychological to (inter)textual. These three phases are explained on the basis of texts from the book of Amos.