Participatory Biblical Exegesis

Matthew Levering

Description

The interpretation of Scripture has depended largely on the view of history held by theologians and exegetes. In Participatory Biblical Exegesis, Matthew Levering examines the changing views of history that distinguish patristic and medieval biblical exegesis from modern historical-critical exegesis.

Levering argues for a delicate interpretive balance, in which history is understood both as a process that participates in God’s creative and redemptive presence and as a set of linear moments. He identifies a split between theological and historical interpretations of scripture beginning in the high Middle Ages, considerably earlier than the emergence of historical-critical methods in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Instead, he offers a vision of Scripture that is rooted in the exegetical practice of St. Thomas Aquinas and his sources but embraces historical-critical research as well.

Participatory Biblical Exegesis provides an original theological basis for critical exegesis. It integrates the work of contemporary exegetes, philosophers, theologians, and historians to provide a compelling vision of biblical interpretation.

Sujets

• Biblical Studies
• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy
• Exegesis
• General officer
• Hermeneutics
• Theology
• Religion
• General

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268085711
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

Extrait

P A R T I C I P A T O R Y

Biblical Exegesis

READING THE SCRIPTURES

Gary A. Anderson, Matthew Levering, and Robert Louis Wilken

series editors

P A R T I C I P A T O R Y

Biblical Exegesis

A Theology of Biblical Interpretation

M A T T H E W L E V E R I N G

University of Notre Dame Press Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre DamePress Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 www.undpress.nd.edu All Rights Reserved

Designed by Wendy McMillen Set in 10.6/14 Monotype Bell by Four Star Books

Copyright © 2008 by University of Notre Dame Published in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Levering, Matthew, 1971- Participatory Biblical exegesis : a theology of Biblical interpretation / Matthew Levering. p. cm. (Reading the Scriptures) Includes bibliographical references and index. -13: 978-0-268-03406-1 (cloth : alk. paper) -10: 0-268-03406-0 (cloth : alk. paper) -13: 978-0-268-03408-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) -10: 0-268-03408-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bible —Hermeneutics. 2. History—Religious aspects — Catholic Church. 3. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc.—History. 4. History—Religious aspects—Catholic Church—History of doctrines. I. Title. 476.49 2008 220.601—dc22 2007051041

∞The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on ProductionGuidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

To M i c h a e l D a u p h i n a i s

C O N T E N T S

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1

ix

O N E Late-Medieval Nominalism and Participatory Biblical Exegesis

T W O From Aquinas to Raymond Brown

36

T H R E E Participatory Biblical Exegesis and God the Teacher

F O U R Participatory Biblical Exegesis and Human Teachers

F I V E Participatory Biblical Exegesis and Ecclesial Authority

Conclusion

Notes 149 Works Cited Index 303

141

263

63

90

107

17

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

This study had its beginnings in four invitations: from Thomas Weinandy, O.F.M. Cap., Daniel Keating, and John Yocum to con- tribute an essay on Aquinas’sCommentary on Johnfor their book Aquinas on Scripture; from Robert Jenson (and Reinhard Hütter) to contribute an essay toPro Ecclesiafor a symposium on the Pon- tifical Biblical Commission’s “The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible”; from Frederick Christian Bauer- schmidtandJimFodortocontributearesponsetoanessaybyCtah- erine Pickstock for a symposium in Modern Theology; and from Stephen Fowl to speak to his session at the Society for Biblical Lit- erature. I am deeply grateful to all these scholars for their gen- erosity. Thanks also to Joseph Torchia, O.P. ofThe Thomist,who kindly accepted for publication an earlier version of chapter 5. Various conversations laid the groundwork for this study. The insights of Michael Dauphinais, Fr. Matthew Lamb, and Fr. Francis Martin are visible, I think, on almost every page. As dean of faculty, Michael Dauphinais helped me find time to write the first draft of the manuscript in the spring of 2005. During that semester, Larry Goeckner, an undergraduate theology major at Ave Maria Univer- sity, provided valuable assistance in obtaining secondary sources. During the early stages of the manuscript, Bernhard Blanken- horn, O.P. o ffered criticisms that enabled me to realize what it was that I wanted to say. Jörgen Vijgen read the manuscript with his usual care and eye for bibliographical resources. Another cher- ished friend, Andrew Hofer, O.P. also offered keen criticisms, as did

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