The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul, discerning the thoughts of the heart. So proclaims te Epistle to the Hebrews. Yet for many persons the biblical Word of God is less a sharp sword than a crutch, supporting rather than piercing them. Interpreted as they have "always" heard it, scripture tells them exactly what they want to hear. Modern critical investigation of the Bible can change that radically, for now Christians and the churches are being told that the biblical authors did not always mean what they were thought to have meant when read through the spectacles of later interests. Because of its approach, some Protestants and Catholics believe the new biblical criticism is impious. Raymond Brown, a Catholic priest who is Auburn Professor of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, argues strongly to the contrary. Critically interpreted, the Bible is all the more critical to Christians and the Church. The challenge of the scriptures is unleashed, "piercing to the division of soul, discerning the thoughts of the heart." - Back cover.
"The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul, discerning the thoughts of the heart." "So proclaims the Letter of the Hebrews. Yet for many persons biblical word of God is less a sharp sword than a crutch, supporting rather than piercing them. Interpreted as they have 'always' heard it, Scripture tells exactly what they want to hear. Modern critical investigation of the Bible can change that radically." Raymond E. Brown, a Catholic Sulpician priest who died 25 years ago on August 8, 1998, wrote the above words for the original edition of this book. He was convinced that modern, historical-critical study of the Bible as the word of God was neither a threat to the Christian faith nor a denial of its spiritual and theological dimensions. On the contrary, his goal was to demonstrate Scripture's profound impact on the life of the Church, leading to ongoing conversation in every era. "I consider Raymond Brown the greatest biblical scholar America has ever produced. This important new edition of The Critical Meaning of the Bible, expanded beautifully by Ron Witherup, illuminates the Bible's central truths critically and meaningfully." —Paul N. Anderson "In this book the eminent scholar Raymond Brown raised critical issues and perspectives that we are still engaging with today. Ronald Witherup's helpful preface and insightful addenda update this important volume." —Michael J. Gorman "Mapping recent shifts in the history of Catholic Biblical Scholarship warrants renewed attention to this important updated version of Raymond Brown's work. As Ronald Witherup writes in his fresh and insightful preface, these issues are still current today." —Gina-Hens-Piazza
Bringing together nationally and internationally-known scholars, The Museum of the Bible: A Critical Introduction analyzes the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., from a variety of perspectives and disciplinary positions, including biblical studies, history, archaeology, Judaic studies, and religion and public life. The Museum of the Bible is poised to wield unparalleled influence on the national popular imagination of the Bible’s contents, history, and uses through time. This volume provides critical tools by which a broad public of scholars and students alike can assess the Museum of the Bible’s presentation of its vast collection and wrestle with the thorny interpretive issues and complex histories that are at risk of being obscured when private funds put a major museum near the National Mall.
This book introduces the New Testament in two senses: it not only provides basic literary and historical information on each of the twenty-seven writings but also orients readers to the religious, theological, and ethical issues related to the message and meaning of Jesus Christ. The overall goal is to help interested readers of the New Testament become informed, responsible interpreters of these writings and thereby enrich their personal faith and understanding. By giving special emphasis to how the New Testament has helped shape the church’s identity and theological outlook throughout the centuries, as well as the role it has played within the broader cultures of both East and West, this introduction also seeks to assist readers in exercising creative, informed leadership within their own communities of faith and in bringing a deeper understanding of early Christianity to their conversations with the wider public. Along with separate chapters devoted to each New Testament writing, there are chapters explaining how this collection of texts emerged as uniquely authoritative witnesses to the church’s faith; why they were recognized as canonical whereas other early Christian writings were not; how the four canonical Gospels are related to one another, including a discussion of the Synoptic Problem; how the Jesus tradition––his teachings, stories from his ministry, and the accounts of his suffering, death and resurrection––originated and developed into Gospels written in narrative form; and how the Gospels relate to Jesus Christ as he was and is. Also included is a chapter on the writings of Paul and how they emerged as a collection of authoritative texts for the church. This chapter includes a discussion of ancient letter-writing, special considerations for interpreting the Pauline writings, and Paul’s decisive influence within the history of the church and western culture.
In this remarkable New York Times bestseller, Joel Osteen offers unique insights and encouragement that will help readers overcome every obstacle in their lives.
A Respected Scholar Introduces Students to the Discipline of Old Testament Studies Richard Hess, a trusted scholar of the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, offers a substantial introduction to the Old Testament that is accessibly written and informed by the latest biblical scholarship. Hess summarizes the contents of the Old Testament, introduces the academic study of the discipline, and helps readers understand the complex world of critical and interpretive issues, addressing major concerns in the critical interpretation of each Old Testament book and key texts. This volume provides a fulsome treatment for students preparing for ministry and assumes no prior knowledge of the Old Testament. Readers will learn how each book of the Old Testament was understood by its first readers, how it advances the larger message of the whole Bible, and what its message contributes to Christian belief and the Christian community. Twenty maps, ninety photos, sidebars, and recommendations for further study add to the book's usefulness for students. Resources for professors are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.
Is there a meaning in the Bible, or is meaning rather a matter of who is reading or of how one reads? Does Christian doctrine have anything to contribute to debates about interpretation, literary theory, and post modernity? These are questions of crucial importance for contemporary biblical studies and theology alike. Kevin Vanhoozer contends that the postmodern crisis in hermeneutics—”incredulity towards meaning,” a deep–set skepticism concerning the possibility of correct interpretation—is fundamentally a crisis in theology provoked by an inadequate view of God and by the announcement of God’s “death.” Part 1 examines the ways in which deconstruction and radical reader–response criticism “undo” the traditional concepts of author, text, and reading. Dr. Vanhoozer engages critically with the work of Derrida, Rorty, and Fish, among others, and demonstrates the detrimental influence of the postmodern “suspicion of hermeneutics” on biblical studies. In Part 2, Dr. Vanhoozer defends the concept of the author and the possibility of literary knowledge by drawing on the resources of Christian doctrine and by viewing meaning in terms of communicative action. He argues that there is a meaning in the text, that it can be known with relative adequacy, and that readers have a responsibility to do so by cultivating “interpretive virtues.” Successive chapters build on Trinitarian theology and speech act philosophy in order to treat the metaphysics, methodology, and morals of interpretation. From a Christian perspective, meaning and interpretation are ultimately grounded in God’s own communicative action in creation, in the canon, and preeminently in Christ. Prominent features in Part 2 include a new account of the author’s intention and of the literal sense, the reclaiming of the distinction between meaning and significance in terms of Word and Spirit, and the image of the reader as a disciple–martyr, whose vocation is to witness to something other than oneself. Is There a Meaning in This Text? guides the student toward greater confidence in the authority, clarity, and relevance of Scripture, and a well–reasoned expectation to understand accurately the message of the Bible. Is There a Meaning in This Text? is a comprehensive and creative analysis of current debates over biblical hermeneutics that draws on interdisciplinary resources, all coordinated by Christian theology. It makes a significant contribution to biblical interpretation that will be of interest to readers in a number of fields. The intention of the book is to revitalize and enlarge the concept of author–oriented interpretation and to restore confidence that readers of the Bible can reach understanding. The result is a major challenge to the central assumptions of postmodern biblical scholarship and a constructive alternative proposal—an Augustinian hermeneutic—that reinvigorates the notion of biblical authority and finds a new exegetical practice that recognizes the importance of both the reader’s situation and the literal sense.
A lengthy history of readers' struggles with Joel lies behind Merx's characterization of the book as "the problem child of Old Testament exegesis, insofar as the resources utilized by interpreters thus far are entirely insufficient to dispel its darkness". Long before Vernes posited that chapters 3-4 were a composition distinct from 1-2, Augustine voiced his perplexity about how the book constituted a unity. Many attempts to expound it as a unity have subdued the book's tensions through problematic harmonizations. On the other hand, theories of the book's development within the construction of a Book of the Twelve not only bar understanding the book as a whole, but also fall short of explaining its composition. In this volume, Ronald L. Troxel acknowledges the perennial problems raised by the book, but argues that taking account of the signs of its genre elucidates numerous cruxes and spotlights salient interpretive features that are infrequently discussed. Recognizing that chapter four comprises a series of late additions permits recognition of narrative markers that unite the first three chapters as a product of schriftgelehrte Prophetie, "scribal prophecy". The book's features align well with those of two other prophetic narratives fashioned as composite works: Jonah and Haggai. All three books are better accounted for in this way than through the prism of redactional expansion. Correlatively, the long-standing arguments against chapter 3 as the literary continuation of chapters 1-2 prove reliant on social conceptions of prophecy that are alien to schriftgelehrte Prophetie. Instead, Troxel shows Joel 3 to be the culmination of a didactic narrative meant to prepare a future generation to survive the Day of the Lord. The first chapter of Troxel's study illuminates the persistent conundrums addressed in the history of interpretation, as well as the social contexts from which resolutions have been proposed. Chapters two and three address the book's composite texture and narrative marks, while chapter four expounds its distinctive eschatology. The fifth chapter synthesizes these observations in a synopsis of Joel's genre, scope, and meaning.
