Theological Interpretation Research Articles

JOB 1-21: Interpretation and Commentary (Illuminations) / CL Seow

The mere size of the publication, the extent of the background information, as well as the articulated commentary and theological interpretation of the first 21 Chapters of the Book of Job may intimidate the reader at first glance. However, the avoidance of stilted speech and preference of sound, logical and reader-friendly discourse soon arrest the attention of the readerirresistibly.

Evolution, games, and God: the principle of cooperation

According to the reigning competition-driven model of evolution, selfish behaviors that maximize an organism's reproductive potential offer a fitness advantage over self-sacrificing behaviors--rendering unselfish behavior for the sake of others a mystery that requires extra explanation. Evolution, Games, and God addresses this conundrum by exploring how cooperation, working alongside mutation and natural selection, plays a critical role in populations from microbes to human societies. Inheriting a tendency to cooperate, argue the contributors to this book, may be as beneficial as the self-preserving instincts usually thought to be decisive in evolutionary dynamics. Assembling experts in mathematical biology, history of science, psychology, philosophy, and theology, Martin Nowak and Sarah Coakley take an interdisciplinary approach to the terms and altruism. Using game theory, the authors elucidate mechanisms by which cooperation--a form of working together in which one individual benefits at the cost of another--arises through natural selection. They then examine altruism--cooperation which includes the sometimes conscious choice to act sacrificially for the collective good--as a key concept in scientific attempts to explain the origins of morality. Discoveries in cooperation go beyond the spread of genes in a population to include the spread of cultural transformations such as languages, ethics, and religious systems of meaning. The authors resist the presumption that theology and evolutionary theory are inevitably at odds. Rather, in rationally presenting a number of theological interpretations of the phenomena of cooperation and altruism, they find evolutionary explanation and theology to be strongly compatible.

Immortality in Romans 2:6–11

Abstract The following essay is an experiment in exegetical method accenting the utility of theological interpretation in resolving historic tensions between theological and exegetical convictions. It introduces a new theological category (onto-ethical rhetoric) as a means of addressing some longstanding exegetical difficulties in Rom 2:6–11. After canvassing those difficulties along with the history of previous approaches, the contours of onto-ethical discourse will be charted through examples from early Christian and ancient Jewish literature. We will see that onto-ethical discourse marries a reference to an ontological entity or quality with its corresponding moral significance, and assumes both are communicated in the ontological reference. It will be suggested that the onto-theological presuppositions typical of western consciousness have historically blinded us to the dynamics of onto-ethical rhetoric. After describing this rhetoric, with a special emphasis on the semantic domain of "immortality," we will return to Rom 2:6–11 and see how sensitivity to Paul's onto-ethical understanding of immortality can solve many of the difficulties surrounding this text and yield some important theological insights into Paul's understanding of the proper place for works and rewards in the proclamation of the gospel.

Immortality in Romans 2:6–11

Abstract The following essay is an experiment in exegetical method accenting the utility of theological interpretation in resolving historic tensions between theological and exegetical convictions. It introduces a new theological category (onto-ethical rhetoric) as a means of addressing some longstanding exegetical difficulties in Rom 2:6–11. After canvassing those difficulties along with the history of previous approaches, the contours of onto-ethical discourse will be charted through examples from early Christian and ancient Jewish literature. We will see that onto-ethical discourse marries a reference to an ontological entity or quality with its corresponding moral significance, and assumes both are communicated in the ontological reference. It will be suggested that the onto-theological presuppositions typical of western consciousness have historically blinded us to the dynamics of onto-ethical rhetoric. After describing this rhetoric, with a special emphasis on the semantic domain of "immortality," we will return to Rom 2:6–11 and see how sensitivity to Paul's onto-ethical understanding of immortality can solve many of the difficulties surrounding this text and yield some important theological insights into Paul's understanding of the proper place for works and rewards in the proclamation of the gospel.

Effective History and the Cultivation of Wise Interpreters

Abstract Theological interpreters' longstanding interest in premodern biblical interpretation makes it reasonable to explore the theory and practice of reception history and H-G. Gadamer's notion of Wirkungsgeschichte. I argue that, although debates about attending to premodern interpretation through producing histories of reception, on the one hand, and arguments about Wirkungsgeschichte, on the other hand, are or can be closely related to each other, they are not necessarily connected. Claims about the importance of premodern interpretation for theological interpreters can be deeply grounded in attention to Wirkungsgeschichte and the cultivation of an effective historical consciousness, but this account of Wirkungsgeschichte is separable from the theory and practice of reception history.

Some Remarks on the Theological Interpretation of the Theory of Evolution

This paper deals with the problem of alleged conflict between the theological idea of the creation of man by God and the scientific theories that explain the origin of the human body referring to the process of evolution. It is argued that there is no contradiction between these two domains and that there is no real conflict between the idea of creation and the theory of evolution. At first, the conception of evolution is introduced. Afterwards, the evolutionary creationism is presented as the theological doctrine which claims that God created man, using for this purpose mechanisms of evolution. It is argued that the Biblical account of creation must not be understood literally and that during the lecture of this account one should respect the interpretative principle of St. Augustine concerning metaphorical sense of some Biblical texts. Finally, a “method” of explaining of the emergence of the human body by a direct action of God (“God of the gaps”) is criticized.

Toward a Reformed Theological Interpretation of Scripture

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Ezekiel's Awkward God: Atheism, Idolatry and theVia Negativa

AbstractCan a biblical text be idolatrous? Ezekiel's God has always been theologically awkward and difficult to handle. For early Jewish and Christian readers of the book the most troublesome (and indeed dangerous) parts of the text were the prophet's initial vision of the divine glory and its subsequent reappearances. Voltaire was perplexed and revolted by God's command that Ezekiel eat bread cooked with dung.1For some twentieth-century Protestant commentators, Ezekiel's God is altogether too concerned with ritual at the expense of ethics.2But for contemporary readers it is the unrelenting harshness, violence and especially masculinity of Ezekiel'sYhwhwhich proves most problematic. My aim in this article is to examine some of the theological implications of this divine awkwardness. In what follows I will attempt three things. First, I will offer a brief examination of the problems Ezekiel's God poses and a few recent Christian responses. Second, I will outline Roland Boer's proposal that Ezekiel 20 (along with 16 and 23) tends towards a kind of ‘anti-Yahwism’ or ‘protest atheism’: a vision of God so appalling as to be impossible to accept. Finally, I will explore the value for theological interpretation of taking seriously such an apparently unpromising conclusion, and suggest that the apophatic tradition may provide resources for embracing such radical negativity within scripture.

Suffering and Scholarship: The Contexts of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey's Ecclesiastes

Surrey's partial translation of the Book of Ecclesiastes seem to have offered him a more sustained, ambitious, and complex encounter with a biblical text than his better known psalm paraphrases. It may be seen as having been conceived within the fractured field of humanist paraphrase and theological interpretation; his work lies generically across the broken ground where humanist and evangelical encounters with the text radically reshaped and contested the ultimate message of this obscure and recalcitrant biblical book.

Il Gesù di Ratzinger. Fede versus storia. Valutazioni di un biblista

The article aims to highlight how the reconstruction of the figure of Jesus, drawn by Joseph Ratzinger, don’t regard the results of recent historians and critics studies on the Gospel, favoring theological interpretation closer to the New Testament, the highest expression of pastoral catechesis. The of is opposed to historical-real: it need to distinguish the real Jesus or historical, which is the pre-Easter Jesus reconstructed according to documents in our possession, and the post-Easter Jesus, who is the Jesus of the New Testament, the Jesus of the Christian faith and the Jesus of the Church. This position brightens the traditional contrast between theologians and biblical scholars. The distrust of Ratzinger against the historical and literary analysis, produced by the biblical scholars, gives rise to adverse criticism: a biblical scholar has difficulty in sharing many of his exegetical decisions, resolved in a manner far from the results of actual exegetes. According to the author, the trilogy about the life of Jesus is an operation to consolidate the current beliefs of the Church but by an exegetical point of view is outdated and not devoid of many contradictions.

BEING WISE BETWIXT ORDER AND MYSTERY: KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS AND FEARING THE LORD

Any attempt to come to grips with ‘the fear of the Lord’ as a key concept for the interpretation of Old Testament wisdom, must appreciate that it is rooted in texts that presuppose an encounter with God that can cause a variety of responses: a feeling of horror or terror; as well as reverent awe that forms the basis of the pious veneration of the Lord in the form of obedience and praise. Although statistical analysis reveals a concentration of occurrences in Deuteronomy (and the so-called Deuteronomistic History), the Psalms and Wisdom literature, it does not presuppose a clear linear development. The theological interpretation of Old Testament wisdom literature must be aware of the ongoing creative tension between order (keeping the commandments) and mystery (fearing the Lord) – as summarized in the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes (12:13). doi: 10.7833/111-1-25

HUMAN DIGNITY: A GLOBAL ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

In vastly different contexts around the world � such as South Africa and Germany � human dignity has proved itself to be an important and useful concept. Despite at times being open to political instrumentalization, Christian theology has also developed a close relationship to this concept. In this article, a theological interpretation of human dignity is developed by employing theological concepts such as the image of God, the preferential option for the poor, the commandment of love and the relational nature of being human.

BEING WISE BETWIXT ORDER AND MYSTERY: KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS AND FEARING THE LORD

Any attempt to come to grips with ‘the fear of the Lord’ as a key concept for the interpretation of Old Testament wisdom, must appreciate that it is rooted in texts that presuppose an encounter with God that can cause a variety of responses: a feeling of horror or terror; as well as reverent awe that forms the basis of the pious veneration of the Lord in the form of obedience and praise. Although statistical analysis reveals a concentration of occurrences in Deuteronomy (and the so-called Deuteronomistic History), the Psalms and Wisdom literature, it does not presuppose a clear linear development. The theological interpretation of Old Testament wisdom literature must be aware of the ongoing creative tension between order (keeping the commandments) and mystery (fearing the Lord) – as summarized in the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes (12:13). doi: 10.7833/111-1-25

A historiografia isidoriana: teologia e política

Isidoro de Sevilha é um bispo visigodo da Antiguidade Tardia, autor de vasta obra exegética, teológica e também historiográfica. Este artigo visa a entender a função e o objetivo da obra historiográfica isidoriana, no contexto da evangelização da Península Ibérica e da busca de legitimação e fortalecimento da Monarquia católica, como aliada da Igreja. A escrita da história em Isidoro tem motivações diversas, sendo moldada a partir de interpretações teológicas e pretendendo gerar modelos comportamentais aos reis, aos nobres e clérigos, e aos demais setores sociais. O sentido pedagógico se sobressai, junto com a visão teleológica.

What if Theologians Took Evolution Seriously

A noted theologian who has been engaged in the dialogue between theology and science invites readers to reflect on how a serious consideration of evolution could impact our lives, particularly our understanding of suffering. An evolutionary lens can change a view of suffering perceived as rooted in past human offenses and the need for expiation to one open to eschatological hope for all life in our world. I f theologians took evolution more seriously than they have in the past, I believe it would lead to constructive shifts in our thoughts about God, the meaning of our lives, our sense of human destiny and the meaning of suffering and redemption. By evolution I mean the conventional Darwinian—and now neo-Darwinian— understanding of the journey of life on earth. It would be salutary for theology to steep itself fully in the best and most up-to-date versions of evolutionary biology. Like all science, Darwin’s portrait of life is subject to constant revision. However, what will remain, no matter how much science shifts in the future, is the disclosure of life’s long struggle. And taking into account the pre-human chapters of evolution can allow theology to give voice to the silent striving of an entire universe, and not just human life, for the redemption promised by God. I shall focus my comments on the suffering in evolution. However, it is necessary first to look at the question of whether evolution admits of any plausible theological interpretation whatsoever. After all, many Darwinians subscribe to a

Is God Necessarily Who God Is? Alternatives for the Trinity and Election Debate

AbstractAs a contribution to discussions of the relationship between trinity and election, in this article I explore the helpfulness of a return to ancient modal and metaphysical theological distinctions. At the forefront of trinity/election debates has been Bruce McCormack's controversial claim that election could be conceived as logically prior to, and the motivation for, God's being triune. Steering clear of questions about the right interpretation or trajectory of Karl Barth's theology, I attempt to identify the motivating theological convictions of this debate's interlocutors and find constructive options which maintain or address those convictions. One option I defend is the possibility that triunity is not logically prior to election.I begin with an analysis of three central theological convictions which seem to be at the heart of the trinity/election debates. They are: (1) a revelation axiom – that knowledge of God's nature is governed by the particular historical revelation of God in Christ; (2) a nuanced commitment to divine immutability; and (3) divine libertas a coactione – God's being free in nature and action from external constraint. I then contend that if more attention is paid to modal and metaphysical options with respect to the existence and essence of God, one will see that there are a number of viable positions which respect these convictions.I argue that at least some of the conceptual difficulties of McCormack's position can be eliminated if we properly distinguish kinds of necessity in reference to God's being and if we dispense with any notion of priority between God's essence and God's willing God's essence. With respect to kinds of necessity, I recall the ancient distinction between properties that are (a) necessary consequents of God's essence, (b) contingent and (c) a necessary consequence of God's essence given certain contingent states of affairs. Those distinctions, along with clarifications about the nature of divine freedom vis-à-vis his essence and actions, allow us to see the range of theological positions which remain faithful to the relevant concerns of the revelation axiom, divine immutability and divine freedom.I conclude that, while it is problematic to defend the logical priority of election over triunity, McCormack is justified in his claim that granting election as part of God's essence does no violence to divine freedom and he is perfectly entitled to the view that God's essential properties, including both God's fit-for-election-hypostatic-configuration and God's being the electing God are mutual aspects of God's single self-caused being.

Theological Interpretation and the Spiritual Sense of Scripture: Henri de Lubac's Retrieval of a Christological Hermeneutic of Presence

Abstract Despite their many similarities, a division exists between proponents of the theological interpretation of Scripture and proponents of the recovery of a spiritual sense of Scripture. This article suggests that one key difference lies in the way each group articulates the relationship of the present, risen Christ to the texts of Scripture. Those who advocate a recovery of the spiritual sense typically place more emphasis on Christ's present encounter of readers, while proponents of theological interpretation of Scripture are often quite reticent to describe such an encounter. This article will contrast the proposals for a theological interpretation of Scripture by revisionist David Tracy, postliberal Hans Frei, and evangelical Kevin Vanhoozer with the proposal to recover Scripture's spiritual sense by ressourcement theologian Henri de Lubac in order to suggest that de Lubac's recovery of the spiritual sense provides the necessary Christological framework to speak of Christ's present encounter of readers. It is suggested that de Lubac's recovery of the spiritual sense could advance the theological interpretation of Scripture to a more distinctly Christological hermeneutic.

Theological Interpretation and the Spiritual Sense of Scripture: Henri de Lubac's Retrieval of a Christological Hermeneutic of Presence

Abstract Despite their many similarities, a division exists between proponents of the theological interpretation of Scripture and proponents of the recovery of a spiritual sense of Scripture. This article suggests that one key difference lies in the way each group articulates the relationship of the present, risen Christ to the texts of Scripture. Those who advocate a recovery of the spiritual sense typically place more emphasis on Christ's present encounter of readers, while proponents of theological interpretation of Scripture are often quite reticent to describe such an encounter. This article will contrast the proposals for a theological interpretation of Scripture by revisionist David Tracy, postliberal Hans Frei, and evangelical Kevin Vanhoozer with the proposal to recover Scripture's spiritual sense by ressourcement theologian Henri de Lubac in order to suggest that de Lubac's recovery of the spiritual sense provides the necessary Christological framework to speak of Christ's present encounter of readers. It is suggested that de Lubac's recovery of the spiritual sense could advance the theological interpretation of Scripture to a more distinctly Christological hermeneutic.

Fusion-Point Hermeneutics: A Theological Interpretation of Saul's Rejection in Light of the Shema as the Rule of Faith

Abstract The present study is a theological exegesis of Saul's rejection in light of the Shema (Deut 6:4–9) as the rule of faith. The Shema has already occupied a central place in the mind of any Jewish and Christian interpreter, so that it can be considered a legitimate prejudgment (Vorurteil) in Gadamer's hermeneutical framework. This proposal is also consistent with the thesis of a Deuteronomistic History, where many traditions in different pre-Deuteronomistic strata have been read within the frame of reference of the Deuteronomistic History other than that envisaged by their original authors in the Deuteronomistic recontextualization. This study suggests that a "fusion-point" interpretation of Saul's rejection by using the Shema as prejudgment can create a frame of reference rich enough to appreciate the relational dynamics between Saul, Samuel, and God, without lapsing into moralism and wooden calculation.

‘Only in the Leap from the Lion's Head Will He Prove His Worth’: Natural Law and International Relations

This article argues the benefits of including a theological interpretation of natural law morality within the normative discourses of international politics. It challenges the assumption of a Grotian secular natural law arguing that practical reason, in a Thomist interpretation, is better suited to the demands of international political theory. It engages with themes of agency, practical reason, and community in order to enhance the content of the post-territorial community evidenced in ethical cosmopolitan debates. Likewise, it envisions simultaneously enhancing a rapprochement among cosmopolitan and communitarian discourses of international politics facilitated through an institutional design guided by the morality of natural law.