Seeing Christ in the Letter: A Review of Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s Mere Christian Hermeneutics

Can a hermeneutic unite Christians across traditions without sacrificing conviction? Kevin Vanhoozer’s Mere Christian Hermeneutics attempts to create a “hallway” where Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox gather—arguing all Christians share one goal: seeing Jesus in Scripture. This review appreciates Vanhoozer’s eschatological framework and his vision of Christ as Scripture’s ultimate referent, but raises serious concerns about his confusing treatment of the “literal sense” and questions whether his project truly achieves the ecumenical unity it promises.