Reading Old Testament narrative as Christian scripture / Douglas S. Earl.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Earl, Douglas S., author.

Series:

Journal of theological interpretation supplements ; 17.

Journal of theological interpretation supplements ; 17

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible. Old Testament.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Winona Lake, Indiana : Eisenbrauns, 2017.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

"Douglas Earl sets out a fresh perspective on understanding what is involved in reading Old Testament narrative as Christian Scripture. Earl considers various narratives as examples that model different interpretive challenges in the form of exegetical, ethical, historical, metaphysical, and theological difficulties. Using these examples, the significance of interpretive approaches focused on authorial intention, history of composition, canonical context, reception history, and reading context are considered in conjunction with spiritual, literary, structuralist, existential, historical-critical, and ethical-critical approaches. Christian interpretation of Scripture as Scripture is shown to be an inherently ad hoc task, understood as a rule-governed practice in Wittgenstein’s sense: an established goal-directed activity for which no method, hermeneutical principle, or critical perspective discovers ”meaning” or generates good interpretation. Good interpretation involves exploration of various construals of the “world of the text” using “hermeneutics of tradition” and “critique of ideology” (Ricoeur). The interpreter’s task is to discern faithful readings and develop their significance in a given intellectual or cultural context. The interpretation of Scripture and its appropriation is seen to involve wisdom in forming judgments on a case-by-case basis, learned through examples and experience, on what constitutes good interpretation and use. Earl shows how traditional hermeneutics and contemporary critical resources suggest that history, ethics, and theology can rarely be “read off” Old Testament narrative, but also how Christians can appropriate ethically and historically problematic books such as Joshua, faithfully adopt a “minimalist” approach to 1-2 Samuel, and embrace a Trinitarian reading of Genesis 1"-- De Gruyter Brill

Contents:

Prologue

Genesis 34: analysis of why an Old Testament narrative has failed to find Christian significance using literary poetics and neo-structuralism

Joshua 1-12: myth, symbol and a proposal for the (Christian)

The Joseph story (Genesis 37-50): the hermeneutical significance of the reception history and the literary horizons of three theologically problematic texts

The David story: the hermeneutical and theological significance of 'minimalism'

Rahab and Dinah revisited: 'reading as' scripture through possible construals of the 'world of the text' in Christian contexts

The story of Ruth: relationships between the reader, Christian ethics and Old Testament narrative

Genesis 1:26: Christian theology, metaphysics, and Old Testament narrative

Salvation history: a framework for Old Testament interpretation?

Epilogue: reading Old Testament narrative as Christian scripture as a task best left jagged.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource and publisher-supplied metadata; title from digital title page (JSTOR; viewed August 12, 2025.)

Other Format:

Print version: Earl, Douglas S. Reading Old Testament narrative as Christian scripture.

ISBN:

9781575067599

1575067595

OCLC:

970396788

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license