Scripture: A Very Theological Proposal (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Scripture: A Very Theological Proposal Nadia Delicata Angus Paddison . Scripture: A Very Theological Proposal. London: T & T Clark International, 2009. Pp. 184. Paper, US$39.95. ISBN 978-0-567-03424-3. Angus Paddison’s work builds upon a recent trend that seeks a “theological (re)engagement of Scripture” (1). One sees behind this effort the influence of ressourcement in Catholic theology and beyond, that is, the desire to reclaim scriptural exegesis as true “theology” or “words about God.” More acutely, one senses here the contemporary discontent among many Christians who are tired of the ills of modernity’s influence on their churches. Paddison, in this context, promotes a scripturally informed theology inseparable from the life of the ekklesia as rooted in its liturgical traditions. Paddison’s book includes five chapters. The first lays a solid foundation for the particular hermeneutical stance that is the volume’s presupposition. Paddison argues convincingly that Scripture is a text sifted, composed, and embraced by the people of God, and therefore can be rightly interpreted only through that community’s eyes of faith. This faith is enacted in the praxis of worship, since the Church is expressed in its fullness in the gathering of the people of God, the proclamation of the word, and the breaking of the bread. Even if the bias of historical criticism seeks to find meaning in the text by digging into its original socio-cultural context, such criticism is truly relevant for scriptural exegesis only as the Church is oriented towards the eschaton. The Church transcends time, even as it is embedded in specific times and cultures; thus its exegesis is nurtured by the signs of the times, while it keeps its focus on eternity. The locus of scriptural interpretation is the Church’s prayer, but God’s word is pivotal for other dimensions of the Christian life. Paddison underlines ethics and doctrine in particular. The second chapter reflects on how Scripture, Church, and Christian ethics mutually inform each other, since Scripture provides the Church’s system of meaning or “imaginary,” and the disciples’ becoming like Christ transforms their life choices and actions. Thus, Scripture is the logos or reasoning of Christian ethics, just as scriptural reasoning promotes a stance of patience in Christians, who wait for the world and each other to be transformed by God’s grace. Patience is nowhere more necessary than in questions of doctrine. This is the focus of the third chapter. Not only is there no such thing as sola scriptura divorced from the Church’s history of scriptural reasoning, but the heritage of rich interpretation is the Church’s deposit of faith. Thus, Scripture’s claims make sense only as informed by the Church’s ongoing reflection on the words of God, just as theology divorced from its grounding in Scripture loses its relevance. Paddison’s argument gains practical traction in the final chapters, which tackle two principle contemporary contexts in which scriptural hermeneutics takes concrete form: preaching and academic scholarship. If Scripture is the book of the Church, then the homily is the natural environment for its proclamation. Homiletics cannot be reduced to formulas or rhetorical techniques, for breaking open the word of God is a task of contemplation and a gift of the Holy Spirit. Above all, preachers must be men and women of prayer who guide their congregations’ rich engagement with the word of God through attentive listening. Lastly, Paddison stresses the university’s need for the existential voice of theology born out of a participatory engagement with Scripture. He criticizes the academy’s dogmatism and the fragmentation of its scholarly disciplines, and argues that theology must witness to a holistic vision of the world and of our place in it. Accordingly, theology itself must be healed of its brokenness by being teleologically oriented in the service of true human flourishing. Paddison’s work is highly recommended for students of ministry and theology, who many times are baffled by the fragmentation in their programs of formation. In its spirit, it [End Page 139] seeks to recover the wisdom of the Fathers and of our medieval predecessors who appropriated Scripture as words God utters about God’s own...