Biblical Interpretation

This dissertation explores a process of cross-cultural communication that spans centuries of time between two different cultures, that of the Hebrew speaking Israelites of the seventh-century a.C. and the Susu people of Guinea West Africa today. The question is how, given that the two groups operate with completely different worldviews and historical backgrounds, might one translate a Hebrew religious hortatory discourse into Susu in such a way that it would be understood and appreciated as a relevant message to their culture.
The author attempts to do this beginning with an analysis of the Hebrew discourse, first from a rhetorical perspective (Chapter 2), and then from a textual perspective (Chapter 3). The presentation of the message employs a rhetoric dependant upon an understanding of the historical background of the audience. The author crafts the message not only with rhetorical nuances, but also with a textual artistry designed to enhance the overall impact of the presentation.
The author then procedes to use the same process on an analogous discourse from the Susu target culture. Since the Hebrew book of Zephaniah consists of religious hortatory, the same genre was utilized from the Susu culture, a Muslim Xutuba (Friday sermon). Again, the analysis covers the rhetorical component of the communication (Chapter 4) and then the textual structure component (Chapter 5). Having completed an analysis of the rhetoric and the textual discourse structure of a discourse both in the source language and in the target language, the author delves into two possible approaches to the translation of the Hebrew discourse.
The first, “a documentary translation,” focuses on the forms used in Hebrew to express the message in such a way to have a rhetorical and structural communicative impact (Chapter 6). The second, “an instrumental translation,” shifts the focus to forms used in the target language, with the express purpose of communicating the same message with rhetorical and structural devices that would have a communicative impact on the Susu people.
Ultimately, the preferred translation approach depends upon the scopos of the translator. If the objective is to present an ancient document to highlight the “foreign” forms used in the original communication, the documentary approach works well. However, if the objective is to present the message of said document in such a way as to transfer the relevancy of the message to the target culture, an instrumental approach is advantageous.

This chapter examines some of the assumptions that are typically employed when dealing with the development of the Hebrew Bible. The first part of the chapter is a critique of the very term "Jewish Bible." It points out some of the problems with the term and make a plaidoyer against being politically correct. The second part focuses on what it means to explain the "development" of the Hebrew Bible and suggests that diachronic analysis alone cannot fully explain its formation. In this author's view, proper understanding of the development of the Bible requires drawing upon intellectual and literary models more commonly associated with the period of the “reception of scripture” than with conventional composition history.

Since Charles Darwin made the theory of evolution popular, the church has been faced with the problem of either denying the validity of evolution or finding a way to interpret the Bible that will harmonize with both an old-earth scenario and with the belief that humans evolved from lower forms of life. This article will not deny either of these scientific conclusions. Its purpose will be to discuss some of the proposed interpretations of the Bible's teachings that have been presented for the purpose of harmonizing the Bible and science, showing that some of these have serious problems. But first I will present an alterative view that has both mathematical and exegetical support to undergird it. Two benefits that are inherent in this view are its simplicity and its employment of the historical-grammatical hermeneutic. Also it does not contradict any New Testament teaching, which should be a requirement for any methodology employed to discover the Bible's teaching on human origins. I appreciate all those who have taken in hand to harmonize an inspired view of Scripture with the present views of the science community.

The fourth century writers Gregory of Nyssa, Evagrius of Pontus and Pseudo-Macarius draw on apocalyptic traditions of heavenly ascent as they reinterpret Moses’ experience on Mount Sinai and Ezekiel’s chariot vision. Alexander Golitzin has coined the phrase ‘the interiorization of apocalyptic’, arguing that for Evagrius and Pseudo-Macarius, ‘the ascent to heaven, the vision of the throne of the glory, the initiation into the mysteries of God’s purposes: all of these now reside within the soul’. It is often assumed that the same is true for Gregory of Nyssa, with Life of Moses presenting the Jewish leader as a
model of the soul’s spiritual journey to God. This article argues, however, that Gregory does not travel as far as Evagrius and Macarius along the route of interiorisation. In Gregory’s portrayal, Moses does not arrive inside himself, but is given a vision of the tabernacle not made with hands, a type of Christ. This is esoteric knowledge of theological verities which are not to be questioned, brought back to the people waiting below by a privileged authority figure. Gregory, a bishop mired in theological controversy, follows Clement and Origen in appropriating apocalyptic imagery for Christianity; it is the monastic leaders Pseudo-Macarius and Evagrius who interiorise it.

This essay was published in The Bible and Early Trinitarian Theology, edited by Christopher A. Beeley and Mark E. Weedman, for the CUAP Studies in Early Christianity (Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2018); this is the uncorrected proofs. Exploring the humanity and divinity of Jesus, the Son's relation to the Father, and the agency of the Holy Spirit, it is one of five essays suggesting Johannine contributions to trinitarian discussions in the early church.

Michael Segal, “Interpreting History in Qumran Texts,” in M. Kister, M. Segal, and R. Clements (eds.), The Religious Worldviews Reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature (STDJ 127; Leiden: Brill, 2018), 212–244.

This work is concerned with some basic problems which historical criticism poses to biblical interpretation. The first chapter deals with historical criticism in relation to problems of the text’s historical distance and contemporary significance. Certain key figures from the field of philosophical hermeneutics are briefly introduced (Schleiermacher, Gadamer, Hirsch, Ricoeur), but attention is also paid to the ways how historical criticism was actually practiced (Wellhausen, Mowinckel). It is maintained that historical criticism is a tool in interpretation and does not impede possible appropriation of the text by those who read it with deep affection.

The second chapter faces historical criticism as a theological problem, which has become most apparent in the inerrantist milieu and which was more or less successfully answered by canonical approaches. A special attention is given to the canonical approach of Brevard Childs, which is understood against the backdrop of Barth’s doctrine of the Word of God and Frei’s view of biblical narratives. A special attention is given to distinction between approaches of Brevard Childs and James Sanders. It is maintained that Sanders’ canonical criticism provides better interpretive platform, because it wants to address the needs of contemporary interpretive communities through a self-aware historical critical enterprise.

The third chapter takes up the problem of violence in the book of Joshua and the problem of theological meaning of the exodus story. Biblical theological insights of James Sanders, James Barr, and Walter Brueggemann are applied. An eye is kept also on Pixley-Levenson debate and it is maintained that traditions of the exodus and conquest must be understood together as literary devices which invite communities of faith to freedom. As a result of the present research, historical criticism is presented as a hermeneutical tool which can help to rescue text’s significance for the contemporary communities of believers.

The Torah's censuses of the tribal tallies in Exodus and Numbers, suggesting the flight that some three million Hebrews fled ancient Egypt in ca. 1450 BCE, is one of the major targets of scorn by deniers of Torah tradition. Meanwhile, ultra-Orthodox Torah scholars, if they are even aware of the problems with this, will either deny the science or appeal to magical thinking. Modern Orthodox thinkers might submit to the opposition, but claim that the Torah is "not a history book", tacitly agreeing that the Torah account has little historical value.

This piece was written to show the sceptic and educated religious believer alike that a solution known to and used by academia for sixty years is entirely consistent with belief in the solid logic of the Torah's wording. Plausible reasons are given as to why the Torah tallies human beings as it does.

This Survey Chart was created for Dr. Andreas Köstenberger and the biblical backgrounds Ph.D. seminar at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for Second Temple Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. This chart surveys the key literature, historical timeline, and information surrounding the Second Temple period as well as offers a select bibliography for each section for further research. This 234 page survey chart is divided into nine major sections: Second Temple History, Greek OT (LXX), OT Apocrypha, OT Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo and Josephus, Targums and Rabbinical Literature, NT Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and Greco-Roman literature.

Biblical scholars have long debated the identity of the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Most Christians identify the servant as Jesus and interpret Isaiah 53 as a description of Jesus’ unique, substitutionary death. However, Isaiah 40–55 repeatedly identifies God's servant as Israel. Was Isaiah 53 about the unique experience of a future individual, or was the passage about what all of God’s people would experience? The aim of this paper is to determine how best to understand the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 from an exegetical (rather than a modern theological) standpoint. The thesis is that the suffering servant was to be both the forerunner to and the paradigmatic exemplar of the ideal people of God—a paradigm the people of God were called to conform to. Thus, in light of the ancient conception of corporate solidarity, the answer to the question of whether the servant was to be an individual or a group is: “both.”

I presented my paper, "THE REDISCOVERY OF CODEX BEZAE CANTABRIGIENSIS AND ITS SUBSEQUENT EFFECT ON THE RECEPTION OF LUKE 16:19-31" in room Central 214 of the Pontifical Gregorian University on Friday, July 05. My lecture was part of the Synoptic Gospels program unit (chairs: J. R. C. Cousland and John P. Harrison), which met for presentation at the 2019 International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) in Rome, Italy (July 01-05, 2019). The Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Gregorian University were the host institutions.

Description:
The Synoptic Gospels, which have formed a coherent unit since antiquity, have played an important role in modern scholarship. This section provides an open forum for the presentation of papers, from a variety of perspectives and using a variety of methods, on these seminal religious texts.

Call for papers:
This year’s primary focus will be on the parables in the Synoptic tradition. The Synoptic Gospels Section will have three sessions: i) a session for invited papers only on the parables; ii) a general invitation for papers related to the parables in the synoptic tradition, with particular focus on matters of material culture and methodologies; and iii), a general invitation for papers on the Synoptic Gospels. There are plans to publish a selection of studies on the parables.

« Les contributions de la psychanalyse à l’interprétation des documents anciens, mythes, légendes, symboles religieux démontrent qu’elle est en mesure d’éclairer partiellement la lecture des textes bibliques. Nouvelle compréhension de l’homme et non seulement étude clinique des phénomènes aberrants, la psychanalyse fait partie de l’herméneutique à double titre. Elle permet de réviser les concepts anthropologiques non-justifiés qui guident nos lectures plus ou moins consciemment et elle fournit des théories scientifiques sur des structures existentielles présentes dans certains documents, dans leurs enchaînements comme dans leur points de rupture. » Antoine Vergote

Criticism of myth in the Bible is not a modern problem. Its roots go back to the earliest Christian theologians, and before them, to ancient Greek and Jewish thinkers. The dilemma posed by texts that ascribe human characteristics and emotions to the divine is a perennial problem, and we have much to learn from the ancient attempts to address it.

Mark Sheridan provides a theological and historical analysis of the patristic interpretation of Scripture’s anthropomorphic and anthropopathic language for God. Rather than reject the Bible as mere stories, ancient Jewish and Christian theologians read these texts allegorically or theologically in order to discover the truth contained within them. They recognized that an edifying and appropriate interpretation of these stories required that one start from the understanding that "God is not a human being" (Num 23:19). Sheridan brings the patristic tradition into conversation with modern interpreters to show the abiding significance of its theological interpretation for today.

Language for God in Patristic Tradition is a landmark resource for students of ancient Christian theology. Wide-ranging in scope and accessible in its analysis, it demonstrates that those engaged in theological interpretation of Scripture have much to gain from studying their forebears in the faith.

This Cambridge University Thesis was submitted in 1983 and graduation took place after corrections in 1984. The thesis demonstrates by a close and exhaustive comparison of the Dead Sea Scrolls (as then available) parallels that the Didache is not an Essene document, as some had claimed, but that in every place where a comparison is possible, the Didache is closer to Pharisaim/ proto-Rabbinism than to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The lives and relationships between Kings Saul and David from 1 and 2 Samuel are examined in greater depth as symbolic representatives and typological figures.  Saul personifies the Old covenant system, and David personifies both Jesus and the New covenant system.  Attention is given to the New Testament fulfillment of Jesus as the Son of David, to David's ability to drive out unclean spirits of Saul, and to Saul and David's roles as prophets, priests and kings.

By Eugene Nida and Charles Taber (1969/1982) -- This volume on The Theory and Practice of Translation is the logical outgrowth of the previous book Toward a Science of Translating (1964), which explored some of the basic factors constituting a scientific approach to translation. This second volume presents certain of these same theories in a pedagogically oriented order, designed to assist the translator to master the theoretical elements as well as to gain certain practical skills in learning how to carry out the procedures. Though this present book treats the problems of translating primarily in terms of a scientific orientation to linguistic structures, semantic analysis, and [nformation theory, it does not lose sight of the fact that translating is far more than a science. It is also a skill, and in the ultimate analysis fully satisfactory translation is alwavs an art. (This text was made available at the following website: https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-theory-and-practice-of-translation-with-special-reference-to-bible-translating-helps-for-translators-8-d165240678.html)

King David is one of the most colorful heroes of Jewish myth. Warrior and poet, sinner and penitent, conqueror and musician, adulterer and Messiah. The many facets of his character are rooted in biblical scripture, and continue to develop in the literature of the Midrash and the Kabbalah. Each generation has added new layers to David’s portrait, sketching him in a new light. Indeed, David’s personality reflects the characters and hopes of his interpreters throughout generations. Embodying the hero “with a thousand faces” and representing the messianic idea, David is not only a private character but a collective entity, wearing many different forms. The paper aims to examine the identification of David with Jerusalem and with the figure of the Shekhinah, from Psalms to the book of the Zohar.

Resumo Este artigo propõe definir um modelo de texto para o texto religioso, em geral, e para o texto bíblico, em especial, por meio de referenciais da semiótica da cultura, dos estudos discursivos e da estética da recepção. Três conceitos se articulam de forma dinâmica: texto, contexto e leitor. A) O texto religioso é estruturalmente complexo, tributário da densidade narrativa do mito e da hiperconectividade da metáfora. B) Textos religiosos são lidos e recriados em redes textuais na história, seus contextos. C) Por fim, o leitor acessa os textos criativamente, atualizando suas possibilidades de sentido. Desta forma propomos um modelo articulado de texto que enfatiza sua polissemia e virtualidade, sua historicidade radical e o papel ativo do leitor. Palavras-chave: texto, contexto, leitor, texto religioso, literatura bíblica.
Abstract This article proposes to define a textual model for the understanding of the religious text, in general, and of the biblical texts, in particular, by means of references from the semiotics of culture, of the discoursive studies and the aesthetics of reception. Three conceptions articulate themselves in a dynamic way: text, context, and reader. A) The texts are considered as structurally complex, narratively dense as the myth, and hiper-connective as the metaphor. B) Religious texts are read and recreated in textual webs in history, their contexts. C) Finally, the reader accesses the text creatively, activating their meaning possibilities. So, we propose an articulated model of text that emphasizes its polysemy and virtuality, its radical historicity, and the active role of the reader.

Convocation Address at Bethel University, August 29, 2016 about recent troubles in Minnesota, particularly the shooting of Philando Castille, and our responsibility as followers of the Gospel. There is an audio link also available. After you click the link, it's the first one in the queue; fast-forward to 15:00:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/2016-2017-chapel-college-arts/id1148681753?mt=10

Writing about Paul from and for our own home cultures put us [Cosgrove, Weiss, Yeo] in the role of constructive interpreters, free to address the question of Paul in ways that run the gamut from priestly to prophetic. Each of us felt more freedom to be prescriptive and critical in writing as cultural insiders than when we took the role of reporting on how Paul looks from cultural perspectives not our own. We have been keenly aware from the outset that writing about Paul from someone else's perspective is risky, fraught with possibilities for distortion, and perhaps even ethically dubious. What right does Yeo have to speak for Native Americans about Paul, Cosgrove for African Americans, Weiss for Russians? Each of us well knew that he did not have standing to speak for any cultural group but his own, and even then only as one voice among many. To write about Paul from other perspectives could be done with integrity only if we presented the voices of those other perspectives and not our own voices.

נקודת המוצא של המאמר היא בחינת הפסוק 'ימצאהו בארץ מדבר' - האמנם 'מצא' ה' את העם במדברי, בלי כל רקע מקדים? בחינת המקבילות הרבות בין שירת האזינו לבין סיפור בריאת העולם תוביל אותנו לתשובה לשאלה זו, המתבססת על הצגת תקופת המדבר כתקופה של 'ראשית', המאפשרת התחלה חדשה - מסר חשוב מאוד בזמן קריאת הפרשה הזאת בתקופת עשרת ימי התשובה

Deel 4 van de hertaalde uitgave van Petrus van Mastricht Theoretisch-Praktische Godgeleerdheid. In dit deel gaat het over de verlossing zoals die toegepast wordt aan de zondaar en over de kerk. De volgende onderdelen van de heilsorde worden behandeld: roeping, wedergeboorte, bekering, vereniging met Christus, rechtvaardiging, aanneming tot kinderen, heiligmaking en heerlijkmaking. In het boek over de kerk gaat het ondermeer over de dienaren van de kerk, de sacramenten, tucht en kerkregering.

Publikacja stanowi XIX tom serii "Biblia Impulsy". Nowe opracowanie Apokalipsy św. Jana oprócz wprowadzenia ogólnego do księgi zawiera także jej przekład wraz z podzielonym na cztery części komentarzem do tekstu. Pierwsza z nich zawiera podstawowe wskazówki egzegetyczne, druga stanowi krótką refleksję. Trzecią część tworzą pytania związane z aktualizacją Janowego proroctwa. Wreszcie czwarta część rozwija wiedzę czytelnika z zakresu środowiska biblijnego. Cennym uzupełnieniem nowego komentarza są zamieszczone w nim mapy.