Let Me More of Their Beauty See

When we turn to God’s Word for encouragement, guidance, and instruction, familiar verses often come to mind. Our associations with these verses are nearly automatic, and they comfort us. 


How do we know, though, if we are using these verses to mean what they meant to their original audiences? Diane Chen’s Let Me More of Their Beauty See offers eight examples of how attention to the historical and literary settings can safeguard against taking a text out of context, bring out its transforming power in greater dimension, and help us apply Scripture appropriately in our daily lives. At the end of each chapter, additional readings and reflection questions are provided for personal study or group discussion.


Diane G. Chen (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. She is the author of God as Father in Luke-Acts and is a contributor to a forthcoming lectionary commentary series focused on the theme of social justice. She especially enjoys writing articles and books that make biblical scholarship intellectually accessible and spiritually edifying to the laity. She is a member of Narberth Presbyterian Church in Narberth, Pennsylvania, where she is active in its teaching ministry for adults. Prior to that, she taught Sunday school for many years at First Evangelical Church in Glendale, California.