Michael Legaspi
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195394351
- eISBN:
- 9780199777211
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394351.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
During the Enlightenment, scholars guided by a new vision of a post-theological age did not simply investigate the Bible, they remade it. In place of the familiar scriptural Bibles that belonged to ...
More
During the Enlightenment, scholars guided by a new vision of a post-theological age did not simply investigate the Bible, they remade it. In place of the familiar scriptural Bibles that belonged to Christian and Jewish communities, they created a new form: the academic Bible. This book examines the creation of the academic Bible. Beginning with the fragmentation of biblical interpretation in the centuries after the Reformation, it shows how the weakening of scriptural authority in the Western churches altered the role of biblical interpretation. In contexts shaped by skepticism and religious strife, interpreters increasingly operated on the Bible as a text to be managed by critical tools. These developments prepared the way for scholars to formalize an approach to biblical study shaped by classical philology and oriented toward the statist vision of the new universities and their sponsors. Focusing on a renowned German scholar of the period, Johann David Michaelis (1717–1791) of Göttingen, this book explores the ways that critics reconceived the role of the Bible. The founders of modern biblical criticism preserved the cultural authority of the Bible, yet they did so by pushing scriptural Bibles and religious reading to the margins of academic discourse. This book offers a new account of the origins of biblical studies, illuminating the relation of the Bible to churchly readers, theological exegesis, and academic criticism. It explains why, in an age of religious resurgence, modern biblical criticism may no longer be in a position to serve as the Bible’s disciplinary gatekeeper.Less
During the Enlightenment, scholars guided by a new vision of a post-theological age did not simply investigate the Bible, they remade it. In place of the familiar scriptural Bibles that belonged to Christian and Jewish communities, they created a new form: the academic Bible. This book examines the creation of the academic Bible. Beginning with the fragmentation of biblical interpretation in the centuries after the Reformation, it shows how the weakening of scriptural authority in the Western churches altered the role of biblical interpretation. In contexts shaped by skepticism and religious strife, interpreters increasingly operated on the Bible as a text to be managed by critical tools. These developments prepared the way for scholars to formalize an approach to biblical study shaped by classical philology and oriented toward the statist vision of the new universities and their sponsors. Focusing on a renowned German scholar of the period, Johann David Michaelis (1717–1791) of Göttingen, this book explores the ways that critics reconceived the role of the Bible. The founders of modern biblical criticism preserved the cultural authority of the Bible, yet they did so by pushing scriptural Bibles and religious reading to the margins of academic discourse. This book offers a new account of the origins of biblical studies, illuminating the relation of the Bible to churchly readers, theological exegesis, and academic criticism. It explains why, in an age of religious resurgence, modern biblical criticism may no longer be in a position to serve as the Bible’s disciplinary gatekeeper.
Melanie Jane Wright
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195152265
- eISBN:
- 9780199834884
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152263.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This book is about the representation of Moses and the Exodus narrative in three North American texts: Moses in Red by Lincoln Steffens; Moses, Man of the Mountain (1926), by Zora Neale Hurston ...
More
This book is about the representation of Moses and the Exodus narrative in three North American texts: Moses in Red by Lincoln Steffens; Moses, Man of the Mountain (1926), by Zora Neale Hurston (1939), and Cecil B. DeMille's film, The Ten Commandments (1956). It does not seek to judge the merits of these works, but rather to ask why and how they recast the biblical narrative as they did, and how their images of Moses were received. The study holds in tension the roles of producers and consumers, valuing both as interpreters and creators of the Moses story.Drawing on insights from cultural studies the books and the film are located in the “religious” contexts of their day (e.g., in relation to changing attitudes to biblical interpretation and authority, and to popular movements within American religion) and in broader political frameworks (e.g., in relation to conflicts like the Cold War, or vis‐a‐vis ethnic or gender issues). In examining Steffens's, Hurston's and DeMille's Moses images, this book lays bare the dynamics involved in the afterlife of a figure who remains central to the identity of American civilization. It also argues that the scope of biblical studies should develop to embrace more fully, the critical study of popular culture and the ways in which “ordinary people” think about the Bible.Less
This book is about the representation of Moses and the Exodus narrative in three North American texts: Moses in Red by Lincoln Steffens; Moses, Man of the Mountain (1926), by Zora Neale Hurston (1939), and Cecil B. DeMille's film, The Ten Commandments (1956). It does not seek to judge the merits of these works, but rather to ask why and how they recast the biblical narrative as they did, and how their images of Moses were received. The study holds in tension the roles of producers and consumers, valuing both as interpreters and creators of the Moses story.
Drawing on insights from cultural studies the books and the film are located in the “religious” contexts of their day (e.g., in relation to changing attitudes to biblical interpretation and authority, and to popular movements within American religion) and in broader political frameworks (e.g., in relation to conflicts like the Cold War, or vis‐a‐vis ethnic or gender issues). In examining Steffens's, Hurston's and DeMille's Moses images, this book lays bare the dynamics involved in the afterlife of a figure who remains central to the identity of American civilization. It also argues that the scope of biblical studies should develop to embrace more fully, the critical study of popular culture and the ways in which “ordinary people” think about the Bible.
Cheryl B. Anderson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195305500
- eISBN:
- 9780199867028
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305500.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Theology
“Traditional” Christianity has come to be defined in terms of whom it excludes. Perspectives excluded in biblical laws have also been excluded from Christian traditions and ethical determinations ...
More
“Traditional” Christianity has come to be defined in terms of whom it excludes. Perspectives excluded in biblical laws have also been excluded from Christian traditions and ethical determinations dominated by a white and male standpoint, an exclusion often internalized as valid even by those it targets. Authorities in the church and the academy imagine themselves to be objective readers who disinterestedly “hear” the meanings in the biblical canon; but these readers are “unmasked” as interested, active interpreters who create readings out of their own context and who must bear ethical responsibility for meanings that exclude rather than include various groups. The chapter finds that interpretations implicitly diminishing the full humanity of those marginalized because of sexuality, race, or gender oppose the ongoing divine work of redemptive justice reflected in the Bible. Therefore, incorporating the perspectives of the marginalized majority is a theological imperative that readers of Scripture must heed.Less
“Traditional” Christianity has come to be defined in terms of whom it excludes. Perspectives excluded in biblical laws have also been excluded from Christian traditions and ethical determinations dominated by a white and male standpoint, an exclusion often internalized as valid even by those it targets. Authorities in the church and the academy imagine themselves to be objective readers who disinterestedly “hear” the meanings in the biblical canon; but these readers are “unmasked” as interested, active interpreters who create readings out of their own context and who must bear ethical responsibility for meanings that exclude rather than include various groups. The chapter finds that interpretations implicitly diminishing the full humanity of those marginalized because of sexuality, race, or gender oppose the ongoing divine work of redemptive justice reflected in the Bible. Therefore, incorporating the perspectives of the marginalized majority is a theological imperative that readers of Scripture must heed.
Nathan MacDonald
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199546527
- eISBN:
- 9780191720215
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546527.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
In the present methodological ferment in biblical studies it is necessary to articulate a methodological approach to the study of food in the Old Testament. The methodology outlined is fully ...
More
In the present methodological ferment in biblical studies it is necessary to articulate a methodological approach to the study of food in the Old Testament. The methodology outlined is fully responsive to research on the anthropology of food, the literary form of the biblical text and historical-critical biblical scholarship. The necessity of all these aspects is demonstrated through an analysis of work on the Israelite dietary laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. For this classical interpretative puzzle Mary Douglas's work, Purity and Danger, has been a decisive turning point. Her analysis has stimulated many biblical scholars, but this has required her own views to be re-articulated in light of closer readings of the text and the work of historical-critical scholarship. The conversation not only shows the need for well informed use of anthropological research, literary analysis and historical-critical scholarship, but also the necessity of moving beyond tired debates between materialists and structuralists, or, in the usual terms of biblical scholarship, diachronic, and synchronic.Less
In the present methodological ferment in biblical studies it is necessary to articulate a methodological approach to the study of food in the Old Testament. The methodology outlined is fully responsive to research on the anthropology of food, the literary form of the biblical text and historical-critical biblical scholarship. The necessity of all these aspects is demonstrated through an analysis of work on the Israelite dietary laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. For this classical interpretative puzzle Mary Douglas's work, Purity and Danger, has been a decisive turning point. Her analysis has stimulated many biblical scholars, but this has required her own views to be re-articulated in light of closer readings of the text and the work of historical-critical scholarship. The conversation not only shows the need for well informed use of anthropological research, literary analysis and historical-critical scholarship, but also the necessity of moving beyond tired debates between materialists and structuralists, or, in the usual terms of biblical scholarship, diachronic, and synchronic.
Thomas B. Dozeman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195367331
- eISBN:
- 9780199867417
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367331.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This overview states the two general goals of the book: (1) to construct a biblical theology of ordination that is embedded in broad reflection on the nature of holiness in biblical literature and ...
More
This overview states the two general goals of the book: (1) to construct a biblical theology of ordination that is embedded in broad reflection on the nature of holiness in biblical literature and (2) to fashion a biblical theology of ordination that is able to serve as a springboard for ecumenical dialogue between different Christian traditions with their divergent views on the nature and function of ordination. This chapter outlines the three methodologies that will guide the study: (1) holiness and the history of religions; (2) the Mosaic office and the history of the composition of the Torah; and (3) canonical criticism and the inter‐biblical interpretation of the Mosaic office.Less
This overview states the two general goals of the book: (1) to construct a biblical theology of ordination that is embedded in broad reflection on the nature of holiness in biblical literature and (2) to fashion a biblical theology of ordination that is able to serve as a springboard for ecumenical dialogue between different Christian traditions with their divergent views on the nature and function of ordination. This chapter outlines the three methodologies that will guide the study: (1) holiness and the history of religions; (2) the Mosaic office and the history of the composition of the Torah; and (3) canonical criticism and the inter‐biblical interpretation of the Mosaic office.
Deborah A. Green and Laura S. Lieber (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This book gathers voices from an international community of scholars to consider the many facets of the history of biblical interpretation and to question how exegesis shapes spiritual and cultural ...
More
This book gathers voices from an international community of scholars to consider the many facets of the history of biblical interpretation and to question how exegesis shapes spiritual and cultural creativity. Divided into four broadly chronological sections that chart a variety of approaches from ancient to modern times, the chapters examine texts and problems rooted in the ancient world yet still of concern today. Eighteen chapters incorporate the expertise of contributors from a diverse range of disciplines, including ancient religion, philosophy, mysticism, and folklore. Each embraces the challenge of explicating complex and often esoteric writings in light of Michael Fishbane's groundbreaking work in exegesis.Less
This book gathers voices from an international community of scholars to consider the many facets of the history of biblical interpretation and to question how exegesis shapes spiritual and cultural creativity. Divided into four broadly chronological sections that chart a variety of approaches from ancient to modern times, the chapters examine texts and problems rooted in the ancient world yet still of concern today. Eighteen chapters incorporate the expertise of contributors from a diverse range of disciplines, including ancient religion, philosophy, mysticism, and folklore. Each embraces the challenge of explicating complex and often esoteric writings in light of Michael Fishbane's groundbreaking work in exegesis.
Caroline Blyth
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199589456
- eISBN:
- 9780191594571
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199589456.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter introduces the reader to Dinah, a literary victim of sexual violence, whose story is told in the narrative of Genesis 34. The author raises the issue of Dinah's silence within this ...
More
This chapter introduces the reader to Dinah, a literary victim of sexual violence, whose story is told in the narrative of Genesis 34. The author raises the issue of Dinah's silence within this narrative and suggests the means by which a feminist interpretation of the text may allow the reader to break her literary silence and grant her a voice with which to tell her story. It is proposed that, by appealing to the cross‐cultural testimonies of contemporary rape survivors who bear witness to their own voicelessness, the reader can gain a new awareness of the complexity of Dinah's silence, understanding it as an intrinsic part of her experience of sexual violence.Less
This chapter introduces the reader to Dinah, a literary victim of sexual violence, whose story is told in the narrative of Genesis 34. The author raises the issue of Dinah's silence within this narrative and suggests the means by which a feminist interpretation of the text may allow the reader to break her literary silence and grant her a voice with which to tell her story. It is proposed that, by appealing to the cross‐cultural testimonies of contemporary rape survivors who bear witness to their own voicelessness, the reader can gain a new awareness of the complexity of Dinah's silence, understanding it as an intrinsic part of her experience of sexual violence.
Nathan MacDonald
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199546527
- eISBN:
- 9780191720215
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546527.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
With the exception of sacrifice and the food laws, the subject of food has been almost universally overlooked by Old Testament scholars. Yet food appears on almost every page of the Old Testament and ...
More
With the exception of sacrifice and the food laws, the subject of food has been almost universally overlooked by Old Testament scholars. Yet food appears on almost every page of the Old Testament and was a matter of concern to the biblical writers. The influential work of William Robertson Smith on ancient Semitic feasting is examined as well as recent works that touch on food in the Old Testament. Despite many advantages each of these modern works are compromised by ideological or methodological concerns that result in the focus being on matters other than food.Less
With the exception of sacrifice and the food laws, the subject of food has been almost universally overlooked by Old Testament scholars. Yet food appears on almost every page of the Old Testament and was a matter of concern to the biblical writers. The influential work of William Robertson Smith on ancient Semitic feasting is examined as well as recent works that touch on food in the Old Testament. Despite many advantages each of these modern works are compromised by ideological or methodological concerns that result in the focus being on matters other than food.
Alexander Samely
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198270317
- eISBN:
- 9780191683978
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270317.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism, Biblical Studies
This book offers a description of early rabbinic hermeneutics (midrash) as it can be reconstructed from the Mishnah (3rd century CE). The argument is based on a survey of all passages of biblical ...
More
This book offers a description of early rabbinic hermeneutics (midrash) as it can be reconstructed from the Mishnah (3rd century CE). The argument is based on a survey of all passages of biblical interpretation in this largely legal document. The book describes how the discourse of the rabbis appropriates Scripture while taking precise account of its wording. It clarifies the conditions of a modern appreciation of rabbinic hermeneutics and provides a unified set of concepts for its precise description, based on modern linguistics and philosophy of language. Basic features of rabbinic hermeneutics and its difference from modern historical reading are explained, and a catalogue of recurrent techniques of interpretation is defined. This catalogue lays foundations for the analysis of rabbinic documents and the comparison with other hermeneutic traditions. Each technique is explained and illustrated with translations from the Mishnah. The book provides a manual of all techniques in systematic order and a list of Mishnaic passages of interpretation together with their hermeneutic techniques.Less
This book offers a description of early rabbinic hermeneutics (midrash) as it can be reconstructed from the Mishnah (3rd century CE). The argument is based on a survey of all passages of biblical interpretation in this largely legal document. The book describes how the discourse of the rabbis appropriates Scripture while taking precise account of its wording. It clarifies the conditions of a modern appreciation of rabbinic hermeneutics and provides a unified set of concepts for its precise description, based on modern linguistics and philosophy of language. Basic features of rabbinic hermeneutics and its difference from modern historical reading are explained, and a catalogue of recurrent techniques of interpretation is defined. This catalogue lays foundations for the analysis of rabbinic documents and the comparison with other hermeneutic traditions. Each technique is explained and illustrated with translations from the Mishnah. The book provides a manual of all techniques in systematic order and a list of Mishnaic passages of interpretation together with their hermeneutic techniques.
Deborah A. Green and Laura S. Lieber
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the academic career of Michael Fishbane. Since his first teaching post at Brandeis University in 1969, Fishbane has been shaping the ...
More
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the academic career of Michael Fishbane. Since his first teaching post at Brandeis University in 1969, Fishbane has been shaping the understanding of Jewish texts and traditions at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The chapter then considers his scholarly contributions. Fishbane wrote and edited more than nineteen books and hundreds of articles and reviews in scholarly journals and encyclopedias. His most influential works includes Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel (1985), Garments of Torah: Essays in Biblical Hermeneutics (1989), The Kiss of God: Spiritual Death and Dying in Judaism. An overview of the subsequent chapters in this book is presented.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the academic career of Michael Fishbane. Since his first teaching post at Brandeis University in 1969, Fishbane has been shaping the understanding of Jewish texts and traditions at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The chapter then considers his scholarly contributions. Fishbane wrote and edited more than nineteen books and hundreds of articles and reviews in scholarly journals and encyclopedias. His most influential works includes Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel (1985), Garments of Torah: Essays in Biblical Hermeneutics (1989), The Kiss of God: Spiritual Death and Dying in Judaism. An overview of the subsequent chapters in this book is presented.
William M. Schniedewind
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter explores holistically a question that touches on Fishbane's interest in mythopoesis as well as inner-biblical interpretation, and the cultural roles of both endeavors. It investigates ...
More
This chapter explores holistically a question that touches on Fishbane's interest in mythopoesis as well as inner-biblical interpretation, and the cultural roles of both endeavors. It investigates the Tetragrammaton's enigmatic etymology in Exod 3:15 and 6:3, its meaning and use, and the ways the meaning of this divine name may have changed with the loss of the First Temple and its eventual re-establishment. The careful analysis of this single key concept offers insight into the much larger issues surrounding communal redefinition.Less
This chapter explores holistically a question that touches on Fishbane's interest in mythopoesis as well as inner-biblical interpretation, and the cultural roles of both endeavors. It investigates the Tetragrammaton's enigmatic etymology in Exod 3:15 and 6:3, its meaning and use, and the ways the meaning of this divine name may have changed with the loss of the First Temple and its eventual re-establishment. The careful analysis of this single key concept offers insight into the much larger issues surrounding communal redefinition.
Margaret D. Kamitsuka
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195311624
- eISBN:
- 9780199785643
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311624.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
How can we respect the irreducible diversity of women's experiences and unmask entrenched forms of privilege in feminist theological discourse? This book offers proposals on how to address the ...
More
How can we respect the irreducible diversity of women's experiences and unmask entrenched forms of privilege in feminist theological discourse? This book offers proposals on how to address the challenge of difference for constructive theological purposes. Toward this end, the objective of this book is three-fold: 1) to make the case for why ongoing attentiveness to differences of race and sexuality is needed in order to avoid the imposition of white racial privilege and heterosexual privilege; 2) to make creative use of poststructuralism principally (Judith Butler, Michel Foucault), but also postcolonial, queer, and other theoretical resources in order to complicate our understanding of embodied selfhood, moral agency, and empowerment; and 3) to make constructive proposals in light of those theories on methodological issues (e.g., appeals to women's experience, to the erotic, or to women's solidarity), on hermeneutical issues (e.g., white feminist uses of the literature of women of color or interpreting biblical texts that harbor patriarchal, imperialist, heteronormative, and other biases), and on doctrinal issues (e.g., sin, creation in the image of God, and christology). New theoretical resources are indispensable for analyzing divisive issues in feminist theology today, and for carving out new avenues for critical negotiation with a religious tradition that feminists see as both alienating and sustaining, repressive and empowering.Less
How can we respect the irreducible diversity of women's experiences and unmask entrenched forms of privilege in feminist theological discourse? This book offers proposals on how to address the challenge of difference for constructive theological purposes. Toward this end, the objective of this book is three-fold: 1) to make the case for why ongoing attentiveness to differences of race and sexuality is needed in order to avoid the imposition of white racial privilege and heterosexual privilege; 2) to make creative use of poststructuralism principally (Judith Butler, Michel Foucault), but also postcolonial, queer, and other theoretical resources in order to complicate our understanding of embodied selfhood, moral agency, and empowerment; and 3) to make constructive proposals in light of those theories on methodological issues (e.g., appeals to women's experience, to the erotic, or to women's solidarity), on hermeneutical issues (e.g., white feminist uses of the literature of women of color or interpreting biblical texts that harbor patriarchal, imperialist, heteronormative, and other biases), and on doctrinal issues (e.g., sin, creation in the image of God, and christology). New theoretical resources are indispensable for analyzing divisive issues in feminist theology today, and for carving out new avenues for critical negotiation with a religious tradition that feminists see as both alienating and sustaining, repressive and empowering.
Richard Swinburne
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199576739
- eISBN:
- 9780191595165
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576739.003.0021
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
When the Christian Church took over the Old Testament, it did so on the understanding that some of it should be understood in non-literal ways. Origen and then Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine ...
More
When the Christian Church took over the Old Testament, it did so on the understanding that some of it should be understood in non-literal ways. Origen and then Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine developed a doctrine which Augustine summarized as ‘Whatever there is in the Word of God that cannot, when taken literally, be referred either to purity of life or soundness of doctrine, you may set down as metaphorical.’ And he applied this so as to reinterpret not merely passages which seemed inconsistent with Christian doctrine or moral teaching but also passages which seemed inconsistent with the supposed scientific truths established by contemporary Greek science. This tradition influenced much biblical interpretation until the Reformation and should lead us to interpret the Bible in the light of modern science. The meaning of any text depends on its context. The Bible is a patchwork of passages from different centuries. Only the whole Bible, and so any passage understood in that context, can claim full truth and full divine inspiration.Less
When the Christian Church took over the Old Testament, it did so on the understanding that some of it should be understood in non-literal ways. Origen and then Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine developed a doctrine which Augustine summarized as ‘Whatever there is in the Word of God that cannot, when taken literally, be referred either to purity of life or soundness of doctrine, you may set down as metaphorical.’ And he applied this so as to reinterpret not merely passages which seemed inconsistent with Christian doctrine or moral teaching but also passages which seemed inconsistent with the supposed scientific truths established by contemporary Greek science. This tradition influenced much biblical interpretation until the Reformation and should lead us to interpret the Bible in the light of modern science. The meaning of any text depends on its context. The Bible is a patchwork of passages from different centuries. Only the whole Bible, and so any passage understood in that context, can claim full truth and full divine inspiration.
Robert Morgan and John Barton
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780192132567
- eISBN:
- 9780191670060
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192132567.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter begins with a discussion of the works of David Friedrich Strauss, William Vatke, and Ferdinand Christian Baur. The three authors opted for a rational, historical, i.e. non-supernatural, ...
More
This chapter begins with a discussion of the works of David Friedrich Strauss, William Vatke, and Ferdinand Christian Baur. The three authors opted for a rational, historical, i.e. non-supernatural, account of Israel and of Christian origins. All three used historical methods to undermine supernaturalist theologies, and all also used Hegel's philosophy in their alternative theological proposals. The discussion then turns to Julius Wellhausen, who is best known for his work on the Old Testament.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the works of David Friedrich Strauss, William Vatke, and Ferdinand Christian Baur. The three authors opted for a rational, historical, i.e. non-supernatural, account of Israel and of Christian origins. All three used historical methods to undermine supernaturalist theologies, and all also used Hegel's philosophy in their alternative theological proposals. The discussion then turns to Julius Wellhausen, who is best known for his work on the Old Testament.
John L. Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195137361
- eISBN:
- 9780199834730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195137361.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This study takes its origins from two impulses. On the one hand, it is common for feminist and most modern biblical scholars to dismiss precritical commentators as also “uncritical” by the standards ...
More
This study takes its origins from two impulses. On the one hand, it is common for feminist and most modern biblical scholars to dismiss precritical commentators as also “uncritical” by the standards of today; on the other hand, the author's previous research has consistently found surprisingly pertinent questions and insights among these precritical interpreters. The purpose of this book is therefore to see whether traditional commentators have properly been deemed irrelevant to current discussions of gender and biblical exegesis, or whether they should be recalled and consulted. The introduction also briefly explains the method of the history of exegesis and how it will be applied to this study.Less
This study takes its origins from two impulses. On the one hand, it is common for feminist and most modern biblical scholars to dismiss precritical commentators as also “uncritical” by the standards of today; on the other hand, the author's previous research has consistently found surprisingly pertinent questions and insights among these precritical interpreters. The purpose of this book is therefore to see whether traditional commentators have properly been deemed irrelevant to current discussions of gender and biblical exegesis, or whether they should be recalled and consulted. The introduction also briefly explains the method of the history of exegesis and how it will be applied to this study.
Melanie J. Wright
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195152265
- eISBN:
- 9780199834884
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152263.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter examines Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 biblical epic film The Ten Commandments. The analysis of the film and its reception draws on insights from cinema studies, particular in relation to the ...
More
This chapter examines Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 biblical epic film The Ten Commandments. The analysis of the film and its reception draws on insights from cinema studies, particular in relation to the history and status of the motion picture industry in mid‐twentieth‐century America. The Hollywood epic has typically been characterized as superficial and banal by biblical scholars and film critics alike, but this study argues for the rehabilitation of DeMille's Moses as a complex example of innovative biblical interpretation, shaped by DeMille's desire to champion American values in the context of Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union.Less
This chapter examines Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 biblical epic film The Ten Commandments. The analysis of the film and its reception draws on insights from cinema studies, particular in relation to the history and status of the motion picture industry in mid‐twentieth‐century America. The Hollywood epic has typically been characterized as superficial and banal by biblical scholars and film critics alike, but this study argues for the rehabilitation of DeMille's Moses as a complex example of innovative biblical interpretation, shaped by DeMille's desire to champion American values in the context of Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union.
Michael Fishbane
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198266990
- eISBN:
- 9780191600593
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198266995.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The interpretation of authoritative texts is a characteristic feature of the classical religions. In this regard, the Hebrew Bible is a fundamental source for religious exegesis in Judaism, ...
More
The interpretation of authoritative texts is a characteristic feature of the classical religions. In this regard, the Hebrew Bible is a fundamental source for religious exegesis in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This book investigates, in a comprehensive manner, the origins of such Scriptural interpretation within the Hebrew Bible itself. Of crucial importance is the development of a method, in order to isolate and analyse the exegetical features found (explicitly and implicitly) within this text. The terms traditum (or body of tradition) and traditio (or transmission) are introduced, and the hermeneutical dialectic between a corpus of authoritative materials and its ongoing reception is spelt out.Less
The interpretation of authoritative texts is a characteristic feature of the classical religions. In this regard, the Hebrew Bible is a fundamental source for religious exegesis in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This book investigates, in a comprehensive manner, the origins of such Scriptural interpretation within the Hebrew Bible itself. Of crucial importance is the development of a method, in order to isolate and analyse the exegetical features found (explicitly and implicitly) within this text. The terms traditum (or body of tradition) and traditio (or transmission) are introduced, and the hermeneutical dialectic between a corpus of authoritative materials and its ongoing reception is spelt out.
MICHAEL J. HOLLERICH
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263685
- eISBN:
- 9780191682636
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263685.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Biblical Studies
This chapter examines Eusebius' intentions and his performance as a biblical interpreter in the Commentary on Isaiah. It shows that for Eusebius, the difference between ‘literal’ and ‘spiritual’ ...
More
This chapter examines Eusebius' intentions and his performance as a biblical interpreter in the Commentary on Isaiah. It shows that for Eusebius, the difference between ‘literal’ and ‘spiritual’ interpretation was similar to the difference between fact and interpretation. The first section of this chapter analyzes Eusebius' prefatory statement of purpose and his interpretive vocabulary. The second section describes Eusebius at work as a practitioner of the various tasks ancient grammar prescribed for understanding the literal meaning of a text. The third section explains his distinction between literal and spiritual interpretation. The last section situates Eusebius in the broader exegetical development of the third to fifth centuries.Less
This chapter examines Eusebius' intentions and his performance as a biblical interpreter in the Commentary on Isaiah. It shows that for Eusebius, the difference between ‘literal’ and ‘spiritual’ interpretation was similar to the difference between fact and interpretation. The first section of this chapter analyzes Eusebius' prefatory statement of purpose and his interpretive vocabulary. The second section describes Eusebius at work as a practitioner of the various tasks ancient grammar prescribed for understanding the literal meaning of a text. The third section explains his distinction between literal and spiritual interpretation. The last section situates Eusebius in the broader exegetical development of the third to fifth centuries.
Tapio Luoma
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151893
- eISBN:
- 9780199834419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151895.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Torrance holds that the scientists James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein remind theology of its ontological basis in the Incarnation and the Trinity, a basis largely neglected in modern theology. ...
More
Torrance holds that the scientists James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein remind theology of its ontological basis in the Incarnation and the Trinity, a basis largely neglected in modern theology. Torrance's view of the indeterminism of Maxwell's theory of the electromagnetic field as well as Einstein's theory of relativity is grounded on his understanding of the tension between causal relations and inherent relations. Torrance sees a deep epistemological integration taking place in the modern natural sciences, e.g., between noumenal and phenomenal as held by Immanuel Kant and between subject and object as entertained in Cartesianism, all features that cannot but have a positive effect on theology. Torrance is detected to use the natural sciences for programmatic purposes, first, to regard theology as an empirical science, whether it deals with Christology and the Trinity or Biblical interpretation, and, second, to provide the ecumenical movement with insights resulting from a major paradigm shift in the Western culture.Less
Torrance holds that the scientists James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein remind theology of its ontological basis in the Incarnation and the Trinity, a basis largely neglected in modern theology. Torrance's view of the indeterminism of Maxwell's theory of the electromagnetic field as well as Einstein's theory of relativity is grounded on his understanding of the tension between causal relations and inherent relations. Torrance sees a deep epistemological integration taking place in the modern natural sciences, e.g., between noumenal and phenomenal as held by Immanuel Kant and between subject and object as entertained in Cartesianism, all features that cannot but have a positive effect on theology. Torrance is detected to use the natural sciences for programmatic purposes, first, to regard theology as an empirical science, whether it deals with Christology and the Trinity or Biblical interpretation, and, second, to provide the ecumenical movement with insights resulting from a major paradigm shift in the Western culture.
Robert Morgan and John Barton
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780192132567
- eISBN:
- 9780191670060
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192132567.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric of Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical ...
More
Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric of Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical interpretation. It analyses the development of literary and historical criticism and more recent social-scientific and literary approaches, by focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposes the underlying theological issues. There emerges a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in these texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. An annotated index provides detailed information on some 250 biblical scholars and other interpreters.Less
Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric of Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical interpretation. It analyses the development of literary and historical criticism and more recent social-scientific and literary approaches, by focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposes the underlying theological issues. There emerges a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in these texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. An annotated index provides detailed information on some 250 biblical scholars and other interpreters.
