The Bible Re Write It Or Re Read It

Generic versions of the Bible begat generic versions of Christians: If we frustrate the language of the King James Version of the Bible, we will frustrate the grace of God and the genetic codes that lead to eternal life. We ought to preach the gospel, not as our views, but as the mind of God. If we have been entrusted with the making of the gospel, we might have altered it to suit the taste of the modest century, but never having been employed to originate the good news, but merely to repeat it, we dare not stir beyond the record. Charles H. Spurgeon. (Used by permission)

"Volume 18 of BiAS series is dedicated to critically unpack the meaning of the call to re-write the Bible made by the first President of Zimbabwe, Canaan S. Banana in 1991. In this book, the author engages with Banana's written works and makes critical observations regarding the call to re-write the Bible. This book argues that re-writing was proposed as a means to an end by Banana. It is demonstrated that what Banana intended was eradicating injustice, violence and inequality in the Middle East which was fuelled by the 'ideology of chosenness', which was sustained by a use of the Bible. Once it became clear the end was not re-writing the Bible, this work moved on to consider alternative means to achieving the same end. The search for alternatives leads the author to consider 'the way of Europe', that is, de-biblification or a watered down biblification, which is named partial de-biblification in this work. Finally, the author proposes a 'critical biblification' as a viable alternative to re-writing or de-biblification. This book, in honor of Banana, calls for socially and contextually relevant biblical studies"--

In Reading and Re-reading Scripture at Qumran, Moshe J. Bernstein gathers more than three decades of his work on diverse aspects of biblical interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The essays range from broad surveys of the genres of biblical interpretation in these texts to more narrowly focused studies and close readings of specific documents. Volume I focuses on the book of Genesis, with a substantial portion being dedicated to studies of the Genesis Apocryphon and Commentary on Genesis A. Volume II contains several historical and programmatic essays, with specific studies focusing on legal material in the DSS and the pesharim. Under the former rubric, the documents known as 4QReworked Pentateuch, 4QOrdinancesa, 4QMMT, and the Temple Scroll are discussed.

From birth through age fifty-seven, I considered myself a staunch believer in my creator, but failed to embrace the reality that Jesus was truly the son of God in human form. Those struggles lead me to contrast my life to other organized groups of believers and wonder what I might have been capable of doing if my conceptual belief system had a Jihadist foundation instead of my reality. I describe two brushes with death in which the second event took my life in a totally unexpected direction. I describe that profound shift as if I were writing an op-ed, and the wild-goose chase that ensued. Included is an appendix for struggling and skeptical Christians everywhere. It is a contemporary guide to help the reader become comfortable reading the Bible, so that he or she might discover the answer to each and every issue that faces humankind today. In this unfiltered look at living the American dream and great loss, Jim shares his candid assessment of struggles with his conceptual belief system and the faith required to keep his faith alive for the next generation. His unique early-life encounters provided Jim with a sound foundation, a foundation that will be critically tested from unsuspecting angles as he navigates through life. Shan Rutherford, Senior Pastor, Greenwood Christian Church, Greenwood, Indiana.

"[T]he problem which this collection of essays addresses is rooted in the fact that no other society in the world is so imbued both with the aura and aroma of the Bible, while simultaneously subjecting it to such parasitic cultural captivity . . . This little book reflects the power of what can happen when bright, passionate minds embrace the problem of the American myth . . . No other American biblical scholar until now has responded more courageously to the issues of deconstructing the American myth . . . What finally matters [here] is that a theologian finally loves the Bible enough, and finally loves his culture enough, to question how both are being used in our time and place for the gain of the few, at the expense of the many." --Charles Mabee, StABH series editor

In der Reihe Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW) erscheinen Arbeiten zu sämtlichen Gebieten der alttestamentlichen Wissenschaft. Im Zentrum steht die Hebräische Bibel, ihr Vor- und Nachleben im antiken Judentum sowie ihre vielfache Verzweigung in die benachbarten Kulturen der altorientalischen und hellenistisch-römischen Welt. Die BZAW akzeptiert Manuskriptvorschläge, die einen innovativen und signifikanten Beitrag zu Erforschung des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt leisten, sich intensiv mit der bestehenden Forschungsliteratur auseinandersetzen, stringent aufgebaut und flüssig geschrieben sind.