In the past few years, the older way of reading the Bible has become irrelevant and implausible for people. Therefore, a pressing need to find a new way of reading the Bible has arisen. In order to address this, many Christian religious groups have started looking for a contemporary way to read the Bible and appreciate its richness. In his book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg gives people methods to encounter the Bible in a new way that breaks the boundaries of simple literalism, while respecting tradition, and also understand the Bible in a powerful and vibrant way. This has led to what he calls the historical-metaphorical way of reading the Bible, which means that the Bible be taken seriously, but not literally. …show more content…
One idea that was extremely helpful to me was his use of metaphors to clarify the relationship between Christians and the Bible. The purpose of reading the Bible, according to Borg, should be to listen to the spirit of the God speaking through the biblical texts and not read the Bible as a mere ‘Word of God.’ For a beginner in Christian studies, like me, this statement has a very large scope that is beyond my understanding right now. Borg, however, makes it easier to absorb this statement with his three metaphors describing the Bible as a finger pointing the moon, as a lens, and as a sacrament. In the first two metaphors, by calling the Bible a finger pointing the moon and a lens, he implies that one must not believe in the finger, but believe in that to which the finger points. This clearly supports his postcritical naivete approach because he is asking people to believe the truth at which the finger is pointing and ignore the way (here referring to the finger) or path. These metaphors are highly enriching as they support Borg’s claim about the Bible being a human product. They signify to me that there are no speeches by God himself in the Bible, but there are people who have experienced God and what they believe God would have said or done in a particular
According to David M. Carr, the history of Scriptural interpretation indicates that religious texts are popular candidates for reinterpretation and, as such, are spaces wherein the personal identity of the reader frequently inscribes itself at length:
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
In The Meaning of Jesus N.T. Wright and Marcus Borg present different views on issues relating to how Jesus is viewed. While Borg and Wright do agree on central ideals of Christianity, Borg tends to have more liberal views, whereas Wright holds more conservative views.
The Bible versus other earliest books is the main problem which is faced by many considerate authors and so is also faced by Borg and Wright. It is generally observed that most of the biblical stories are believed as right but in actual they are unsuspecting. If we discuss Borg’s point of view he has accepted a lot of disapproval in Bible. For the original Testament the Borg execute serious investigation on the past book in order to apply on the original Testament. In a book Borg wrote a whole chapter on the virgin Birth in order to give an example on the critical analysis and the facts show that he does not thinks that gospel accounts are traditionally
...e to the study of the bible instead of all the doubts that was created by the other criticism. To them all the odd parts and repeated phrases or parts all add to a strikingly beautiful tale. They see the bible as a literary masterpiece in which the authors used gorgeous imagery to strike at the heart of the reader to show them God’s greatness. In essence rhetorical critics want you to see the big picture instead of all the little side pictures. The J story of Genesis as well at times the P story is filled with imagery that is meant to show God’s power.
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
Gomes, Peter J. The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart. New York: Morrow, 1996.
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©2003.
Mears, Henrietta C.. What the Bible Is All About. Rev. and updated. ed. Ventura, Calif., U.S.A.: Regal Books, 1983. Print.
Bruce Walkte begins his exploration of rightly reading and understanding the Psalter by evaluating historical views. He first details the Alexandrian method of interpretation, which relies heavily upon an allegorical approach to Scripture. Then, Waltke discusses the Antiochian method of interpretation in which “every passage has only one literal, historical meaning.” The Antiochian approach is then divided into two ideas: noncritical exposition, which limit the
We cannot over simplify human behavior and the power of belief. Belief being the structure humans have created to understand one’s existence. Equally important, beliefs reassure a sense of balance and control in a world where we may feel powerless or helpless despite scientific developments. Nevertheless, science is the reality tested. Bultmann, points out blind acceptance of the New Testament’s written word would be irrational, and “a sacrifice of the intellect which could have only one result – a curious form of schizophrenia and insincerity” . Nevertheless, there remains a confusion that pervades modern ideas of the universe and our existence. Bultmann did acknowledge the truths a shallow enlightenment had failed to perceive are later rediscovered in ancient myths. Therefore, the task of dissecting the written words and structure of the New Testament is important for clarification and
Thiselton, A.C. (2005). Can the Bible mean whatever we want it to mean? Chester, U.K.: Chester Acadamic Press, 10-11.
Hindson, Edward E.. The Essence of the Old Testament: a survey. Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Academic, 2012. Print.
For many years, I have had this ideology that all the information inscribed in the Bible is factual. It was thought provoking to see that the Bible is composed of historically accurate information and stories. The Introduction to the Bible course has given me the opportunity to explore and broaden my perspective on the Catholic bible. I am challenging myself to see the bible from a historical and scientific view, but also with a view of my faith. The information that I have gathered from the course has caused me to question faith and facts.