Draudze kā Svētos Rakstus interpretējoša kopiena Stenlija Hauervasa teoloģijā

Abstract

The themes of distrust towards an individual, the centrality of church as community, and the interactions between community and individual come together in the theology of Stanley Hauerwas, a contemporary American theologian. This paper focuses on a significant area where the interests of an individual and community meet (or collide) – the issue of who has the “right” to interpret the Christian Scripture. Hauerwas gives an unequivocal answer – it is a church. To better understand the claim that church is the only interpreter and interpretative community of the Scripture, the article, first of all, considers two reasons provided by Hauerwas for taking the Bible out of the individual reader’s hands: insufficient formation of an individual in the contemporary church which is more controlled by liberal politics than the Bible politics; and the claim that the Scripture and church are inseparable. Secondly, church as the context for the interpretation of the Bible is described in terms of community and narrative, its goal and practices, virtues and discipleship. Finally, four reasons for Haurwas’s claim that church as community is the only proper interpreter of the Scripture are discussed: 1) the Scripture is the narrative of church; 2) the primary function of the Bible is to maintain and form the church; 3) community gives the Scripture authority and meaning; 4) church is a community with the practices necessary for the proper interpretation of the Scripture. In the end, critical remarks are made about Hauerwas’s understanding of church as the interpretative community of the Scripture. It is noted that his insufficient explication of the concept of individual limits the significance of and need for describing the individual participation in a church. The “vicious circle” of church and the Scripture and the insistence that text does not have any meaning robs the Scripture of its critical authority over against church. As the history of Christianity shows, the Scripture can be used for diverse purposes. Hauerwas’s practice of interpreting the Scripture contradicts his theological claims about church as its sole interpreter.