Hermeneutical Perspectives on Violence in the New Testament

Abstract

The popular theory of a non-violent, early Christianity is, however, increasingly being questioned. This chapter offeres some hermeneutical observations about violence within a wider range of publications in New Testament studies as a discipline. The debate about violence is in several respects new and underdeveloped, though it has shown progress. A major step forward in the discussion of violence was the recognition, for example, that Christianity is not merely about people who suffer violence at the hand of its persecutors, but also about Christianity itself perpetrating violence in many forms. Another significant development is the openness and the growing concern about the consequences of violent pronouncements and motifs in biblical texts and in the understanding of God's character and actions. These two developments reflect a commendable self-critical position of researchers and an awareness of what violence, potential destruction and power games underlie seemingly innocuous language. Keywords:biblical texts; early Christianity; hermeneutical observations; New Testament; violence