Abstract
In the past, biblical scholarship has neglected the hermeneutical contribution that an imaginal engagement with the text may make. The author’s aim in this article was to develop theological imagination as a hermeneutical device. This was done by briefly considering the concurrence in the hermeneutic contributions of three interpreters of biblical texts, with specific regard to their understanding of biblical imagination. These were Walter Brueggemann, Paul Ricoeur and Ignatius of Loyola. Their hermeneutical contributions concur in their understanding of a biblically informed imagination, and it is specifically this aspect of the concurrence of their thought that was explored. An illustration from Proverbs 14:27, which draws on the metaphor and biblical motif of the fountain or source of life, was put forward to demonstrate how the concurrence in the contributions of these biblical interpreters may influence an imaginal engagement with the text.Keywords: Old Testament; Proverbs; Hermeneutics; The fear of the Lord/Yahweh; Walter Brueggemann; Paul Ricoeur; Ignatius of Loyola; Imaginal engagement
Highlights
Concerning the role of imagination in the Christian life, O’Brien (2011:4) states ‘our problem is not an overactive imagination
My premise is that theological imagination may aid scholarly work and is inevitable when one works with such elusive subject matter that resists being fully grasped as metaphors, symbols and the symbolic reality which biblical texts project for its readers
An illustration from Proverbs 14:27 which draws on the metaphor and biblical motif of the source of life will be put forward to demonstrate how the concurrence in the contributions of these biblical interpreters may have an impact on an imaginal engagement with the text
Summary
Concerning the role of imagination in the Christian life, O’Brien (2011:4) states ‘our problem is not an overactive imagination. Parallelism embodies the poetic function, and the poetic function heightens the focus on the message’ (Berlin [1985] 1992:140) Parallelism structures this text by simultaneously setting up a relationship of equivalence between the fear of Yahweh and the purpose of keeping away from the snares of death, as well as a relationship of opposition between the source of life and Source: Heim (2013:354) Figure 1: The relationship established between the two colons comprising a single proposition. The reader of Proverbs glimpses a world beset with many dangers that can ensnare a person, but at the same time is offered a view of the single source of protection, that is, the fear of Yahweh It is worthwhile at this stage to consider other textual references that may contribute to a richer understanding of the text under consideration. After alerting their imaginations readers may ask themselves: What can I see in the text? What can I hear? What can I smell? What can I feel? What can I taste? In this way, the metaphors may come alive to readers as the text intended it
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