Narrative Interpretation and the Bible

Abstract

Abstract over the past twenty years, a wealth of titles have explored the possibilities in using the concept of narrative as a theological tool.’ The approach represented in this corpus is usually referred to, not surprisingly, as “narrative theology,” and it has yielded inquiry in biblical studies, philosophy, homiletics, and many of the other theological fields.2 Of the many different ways of using the concept of narrative for theological inquiry, one type has crystallized around the work of Hans Frei and what has come to be known as the “Yale School.”3 While it will not be the goal here to document the theories of the Yale School or to commend the categories of “narrative theology” in general, it will be useful to draw on those insights which can be particularly helpful in analyzing feminist theologies’ use of or relation to the biblical depiction of God.