Scripture and Hermeneutics

Christianity believes in a God who acts in history. The Bible tells us the story of God's actions in Israel, culminating in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and the spreading of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. The issue of history is thus unavoidable when it comes to reading the Bible. Volume 4 of the Scripture and Hermeneutics Series looks at how history has dominated biblical studies under the guise of historical criticism. This book explores ways in which different views of history influence interpretation. It considers the implications of a theology of history for biblical exegesis, and in several case studies it relates these insights to particular texts. Not only is history central to the biblical story, but from a Christian perspective history revolves around Jesus Christ. All roads of human activity before Christ lead up to him, and all roads after Christ connect with him. A concern with history and God's action in it is a central characteristic of the Bible. The Bible furnishes us with an account of God's interactions with people and with the nation of Israel that stretches down the timeline from creation to the early church. It tells us of real men, women, and children, real circumstances and events, real cultures, places, languages, and worldviews. And it shows us God at work in human affairs, revealing his character and heart through his activities. "Behind" the Text examines the correlation between history and the Bible. For the scholar, student, and informed reader of the Bible, this volume highlights the importance of history for biblical interpretation, and looks at how history has and should influence interpretation.

Biblical theology attempts to explore the theological coherence of the canonical witnesses; no serious Christian theology can overlook this issue. The essays in the present volume illustrate the complexity and richness of the conversation that results from attentive consideration of the question. In a time when some voices are calling for a moratorium on biblical theology or pronouncing its concerns obsolete, this collection of meaty essays demonstrates the continuing vitality and necessity of the enterprise.

There is always some view of language built into biblical interpretation. If we are to read Scripture to hear God's address, it is vital that we attend to current debates about language and become critically conscious in this respect. Craig Bartholomew After Pentecost is the second volume from the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. This annual gathering of Christian scholars from various disciplines was established in 1998 and aims to reassess the discipline of biblical studies from the foundations up and forge creative new ways for reopening the Bible in our cultures. The Seminar was aware from the outset that any renewal of biblical interpretation would have to attend to the issue of language. In this rich and creative volume, the importance of linguistic issues for biblical interpretation is analyzed, the challenge of postmodernism is explored, and some of the most creative recent developments in philosophy and theology of language are assessed and updated for biblical interpretation. CONTRIBULTORS INCLUDE: Mary Hesse Ray Van Leeuwen Anthony Thiselton Kevin Vanhoozer Nicholas Wolterstorff

Renewing Biblical Interpretation is the first of eight volumes from the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. This annual gathering of Christian scholars from various disciplines was established in 1998 and aims to re-assess the discipline of biblical studies from the foundation up and forge creative new ways for re-opening the Bible in our cultures. Including a retrospective on the consultation by Walter Brueggemann, the contributors to Renewing Biblical Interpretation consider three elements in approaching the Bible-the historical, the literary and the theological-and the underlying philosophical issues that shape the way we think about literature and history.

A rich and comprehensive volume-essential reading for all those interested in how to read Luke as relevant for today In this sixth volume, the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar brings its past six years of work on biblical hermeneutics to bear on the gospel according to Luke. In his introduction, Anthony Thiselton, world authority on biblical hermeneutics, sets the context for a wideranging exploration of how to read Luke for God's address today. Traditional and more contemporary approaches are brought into dialogue with each other as several top Lukan scholars reflect on how best to read Luke as Scripture. Topics covered include the purpose of Luke-Acts, biblical theology and Luke, narrative and Luke, reception history and Luke, the parables in Luke, a missional reading of Luke, and theological interpretation of Luke. Since prayer is a major theme in Luke, this volume explores not only the role of prayer in Luke, but also the relationship between prayer and exegesis.

Since September 11, 2001, we are intensely aware of the need for political wisdom. Can Scripture help us in this respect? Yes, but not simplistically. In an exhilarating dialogue with Oliver O'Donovan, a team of international scholars look in detail in this book at biblical interpretation as we make the journey from what God said to Abraham, as it were, to how to respond to the political challenges of today. Such exploration is essential if the church is to become "a royal priesthood" today. Craig Bartholomew Contributors include: Oliver O'Donovan (respondent to 14 chapters) Gilbert Meilaender Christopher Rowland Bernd Wannenwetsch N. T. Wright A Royal Priesthood? is the third volume from the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. This annual gathering of Christian scholars from various disciplines was established in 1998 and aims to reassess the discipline of biblical studies from the foundations up and forge creative new ways for reopening the Bible in our cultures. Any attempt to open the Book in new and fresh ways for our cultures at the start of the third millennium must explore how to read the Bible ethically and politically. This volume looks at the obstacles to such a process and in dialogue with Oliver O'Donovan's creative work in this regard, looks in detail at how to read different parts of the Bible for ethics and politics. A unique element of the book is Oliver O'Donovan's 14 responses to individual chapters. Volume 1, Renewing Biblical Interpretation and Volume 2, After Pentecost, are also published by Paternoster Press and Zondervan.

Drawing on a broad array of contributors, volume seven of the Scripture and Hermeneutics Series assesses the current state of canonical interpretation and uses that as a starting point for exploring ingredients in theological interpretation of the Bible today. Canon and Biblical Interpretation begins with a masterful examination of the canonical approach and the various criticisms that have been leveled against it. Additional chapters look at canonical interpretation in relation to different parts of the Bible, such as the Pentateuch, the Wisdom books, the Psalms, and the Gospels. Articles address such issues as canonical authority and the controversial relationship between canonical interpretation and general hermeneutics. A unique chapter explores the relationship between academic exegesis and lectio divina. Editors: • Craig Bartholomew • Robin Parry • Scott Hahn • Christopher Seitz • Al Wolters.

It is well known that the Western university gradually evolved from the monastic stadium via the cathedral schools of the twelfth century to become the remarkably vigorous and interdisciplinary European institutions of higher learning that transformed Christian intellectual culture in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It is equally well known that subsequent disciplinary developments in higher education, including the founding and flourishing of many of the most prestigious of North American universities, owe equally to the Protestant and perhaps particularly Calvinist influence. But that the secularized modern university that descended from these developments is now in something of an identity crisis is becoming widely - and often awkwardly - apparent. The reason most often given for the crisis is our general failure to produce a morally or spiritually persuasive substitute for the authority that undergirded the intellectual culture of our predecessors. This is frequently also a reason for the discomfort many experience in trying to address the problem, for it requires an acknowledgement, at least, that the secularization hypothesis has proven inadequate as a basis for the sustaining of coherence and general intelligibility in the university curriculum. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the disciplines of biblical studies and theology, which once were the anchor or common point of reference for theological thought, but which are now both marginalized in the curriculum and internally divided as to meaning and purpose, even where the Church itself is concerned. In this final volume of the Scripture and Hermeneutic Series, a group of distinguished scholars have sought to understand the role of the Bible in relation to the disciplines in a fresh way. Offered in a spirit of humility and experimentally, the essays here consider the historic role of the Bible in the university, the status of theological reflection regarding Scripture among the disciplines today, the special role of Scripture in the development of law, the humanities and social sciences, and finally, the way the Bible speaks to issues of academic freedom, intellectual tolerance, and religious liberty. Contributors Include: Dallas Willard William Abraham Al Wolters Scott Hahn Glenn Olsen Robert C. Roberts Byron Johnson Robert Cochran, Jr. David I. Smith John Sullivan Robert Lundin C. Stephen Evans David Lyle Jeffrey.