Contours Of A Biblical Reception Theory

Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Chester/University of Liverpool, 2007.

This study seeks to make a contribution to current debates about the nature of Wirkungsgeschichte or reception history and its place in contemporary Biblical Studies. The author addresses three crucial questions: the relationship between reception history and historical-critical exegesis; the form of reception history itself, with a focus on the issue of which acts of reception are selected and valorized; and the role of tradition, pre-judgements and theology in relation to reception history. Disagreements about these matters contribute to what many characterise as the fragmentation of the discipline of biblical studies. The study champions the hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer as a theoretical resource for understanding biblical interpretation, and a way of holding together with integrity the varied activities undertaken within the discipline. Each aspect of the argument is illustrated, tested and further explored with reference to the post-history of exhortations in the New Testament to 'be subject'. These have been widely cited and applied for 2,000 years – in literature, law and politics as well as in theological traditions. In this way the study makes a contribution not just to the theory but also the practice of reception history.

"The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in Orthodox Christianity investigates the various ways in which Orthodox Christian, i.e., Eastern and Oriental communities have received, shaped, and interpreted the Christian Bible. The handbook is divided into five parts, including the introduction ("Balancing Tradition with Modernity") that sets the tone and scope of the volume. Part I: Text The Orthodox Church has never codified the Septuagint or any other textual witnesses as its authoritative text. Textual fluidity and pluriformity, a characteristic of Orthodoxy, is demonstrated by the various ancient and modern Bible translations such as, Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, etc. Part II: Canon Unlike the Protestant and Roman-Catholic situations where the canon of the Bible, specifically the Old Testament canons which are "closed" and limited to 39 and 46 books, respectively, the Orthodox canon is "open-ended" consisting of 39 canonical books and 10 or more (e.g., Ethiopian canon) anaginoskomena "readable" books (Septuagint additions). Part III: Scripture within Tradition Unlike the classical Protestant view of sola scriptura and the Roman Catholic way of placing Scripture and Tradition on par as sources / means of divine revelation, the Orthodox view accords a central role to Scripture within Tradition, with the latter conceived not as a deposit of faith but rather as the Church's life through history. Part IV: Towards an Orthodox Hermeneutics and Part V: Looking to the Future The last two parts survey Orthodox "traditional" hermeneutics consisting mainly of patristic commentaries and liturgical interpretations found in hymnography and iconography, and the ways by which Orthodox biblical scholars balance these traditional hermeneutics with modern historical-critical approaches to the Bible"--

In this volume, Karol Piotr Kulpa offers a coherent analysis of the reception of 2 Thess. 2:3-12 by Tyconius in his Liber Regularum and his reconstructed Expositio Apocalypseos . The author proposes and applies his own method for a reception history composed of historical, literary, and theological levels, which is constructive as well as analytical. In this way he writes a history of reception that not only finds its anchor in the past, but also builds bridges to theological questions of the present. In particular, the author identifies that motifs of homo peccati , mysterium facinoris , and discessio drawn from 2 Thess. 2:3 and 2:7 become Tyconius' "world-constructing verses" in his understanding of Scripture, and of the bipartition in the church's reality, in human nature, and in eschatological temporality. As a result, he offers a refreshingly 'ecumenical' reading of Tyconius, refusing to reduce his significance to that of a 'heretical voice' but re-envisaging him as a potentially authoritative theologian and exegete.

"Why should we take into account the history of reception in biblical methods? It is because as exegetes we have no choice. Recognizing our dependence on interpretations of the past is not a new method, but it is the very way we understand texts. Régis Burnet shows how this allows us to put our current interpretations into perspective, but also to dialogue with those of the past." --

A comprehensive case for a fresh literary approach to the New Testament For at least a half century, scholars have been adopting literary approaches to the New Testament inspired by certain branches of literary criticism and theory. In this important and illuminating work, Michal Beth Dinkler uses contemporary literary theory to enhance our understanding and interpretation of the New Testament texts. Dinkler provides an integrated approach to the relation between literary theory and biblical interpretation, employing a wide range of practical theories and methods. This indispensable work engages foundational concepts and figures, the historical contexts of various theoretical approaches, and ongoing literary scholarship into the twenty-first century. In Literary Theory and the New Testament, Dinkler assesses previous literary treatments of the New Testament and calls for a new phase of nuanced thinking about New Testament texts as both ancient and literary.

The language of the Gospel of John is known for its complexity. On the basis of the modern standards of transparency and logic, previous scholars have depicted this language as obscure, confusing, and mysterious. Thomas Tops goes beyond these oversimplifications by providing an in-depth historical study of John's characterisation of Jesus' language with the terms paroimia and parr e sia . By providing original insights in these terms, the author offers a new perspective on the functioning of Johannine language. As the Johannine Jesus teaches both through paroimia and parr e sia , his language conceals and reveals at the same time. His criticism is veiled and calls on its addressees to search for the hidden meanings of his words. Veiled speech allows the Johannine Jesus to criticise his opponents and openly reveal his messianic identity to those who cannot accept the truth in any other way.

Traditional methods employed in biblical interpretation involve a two-way dialogue between the text and the reader. Reception theory expands this into a three-way dialogue, with the third partner being the history of the text's interpretation and application. Most contemporary biblical interpreters have ignored this third partner, although recently the need to include the history of interpretation has gained some attention. This book explores the hermeneutical resources that reception theory provides for engaging the history of biblical interpretation as a third dialogue partner in biblical hermeneutics. The first third of this work explores the philosophical background and hermeneutical framework that Hans-Georg Gadamer provides for reception theory. The center of this study examines how this hermeneutical approach is fleshed out by Hans Robert Jauss. Jauss not only builds upon Gadamer's work, but his literary hermeneutic provides a model applicable to the biblical text and its tradition of interpretation. The focus for the final third of the book shifts toward three studies that seek to demonstrate the applicability of various aspects of reception theory to biblical interpretation.