|
| Christian news worldwide |
 Home |
 Archives |
 Subscriptions |
 Adverts |
 Find a church |
 About us |
 Contact us |
 Site Map |
 PrintableVersion Words and the WordLiterary theory and ScriptureWORDS AND THE WORD Words and the Word is a series of eight essays which aim to open a conversation between the disciplines of biblical interpretation and literary theory. In the past, biblical studies had a variety of dialogue partners, including philosophy and historical studies. Today, literary theory has a very high profile in university departments; this book explores ways in which the interpretation of the Bible might benefit from its insights. The first two essays are general. Grant Osborne gives a good overview of some of the issues raised by literary theory and argues for a trialogue between author, text and reader, in order to discover the author’s intended meaning. In Gagging God, Don Carson warned that the greatest threat to the orthodox view of Scripture today came from those denying any possibility of recovering the author’s true intent. It was, therefore, refreshing to see the way in which Osborne develops his argument. The next six essays deal with specific aspects of the subject, such as Speech Act theory, Genre Criticism and Discourse Analysis. I found the two essays on Ambiguity and Poetics particularly stimulating. David Firth defines ambiguity as ‘any verbal nuance, however slight, which gives room for alternative reactions to the same piece of language’. Some texts may be intentionally ambiguous. When, for example, Paul says ‘The Lord is near’ (Philippians 4.5), does he mean that God is close (spatial), or that the Parousia is about to happen (temporal)? Firth argues that such ambiguity may well be intentional. This leads to a more nuanced interpretation. Jamie Grant’s essay on Poetics helps us understand some of the ways in which the editors have shaped the poetry books, such as Psalms and Proverbs. This led to some helpful insights for exegesis. This is a demanding book. It aims to be accessible to serious non-specialists. I think it fits the bill in this, although it requires hard work. I am not entirely convinced that all the authors are as committed as Osborne is to the possibility of finding the author’s intended meaning. Some of the authors seem to concede points to liberal scholarship, such as the existence of a Deutro-Isaiah. This being said, the book is a helpful primer for those who want to understand how modern literary theory might benefit biblical interpretation. The book is at its best when the scholars seek to engage with specific texts and so generate new insights. Paul Mallard,
|
|
