I'm off till Tuesday

Recent goings on on the biblical studies list have left a bad taste in my mouth (though my Site Meter statistics have rocketed as result. Is that good or bad publicity?). They've sapped my desire to post anything meaningful today. If people are interested in my literal/spiritual sense thread, then Michael wrote a decent response to my Literal and Spiritual Sense of Scripture post. He disagrees with my definition of "the spiritual sense," contests its continuing validity, calls for sharper distinction between it and the word "referent" and has an alternative interpretation of some NT verses. Give him a read. I'll get back to him as soon as I'm back.

In the meanwhile I'm off to a colloquium in Tübingen, where I'll have the pleasure of smoking narghila with Mr Tilling. It's then off to Wuppteral for another colloquium, where I'll meet my second doctoral supervisor for the first time. This'll hopefully give my wounded soul time to heal and help me get over the wish to quit the aforementioned list.

The Christ Files

Due to extended discussion on the Biblical Studies List I've not got time to continue my literal/spiritual sense thread today. Instead, a fascinating video clip on an up-and-coming documentary on the "historical Jesus". Here's the blurb:

Have we lost sight of the real Jesus in our busy lives? Is our Saviour so buried by tradition and fable that he has become insignificant to people living in the 21st century? In a captivating journey across the globe, Dr John Dickson examines ancient documents and consults the world’s most respected historians in search of Jesus of Nazareth.

What is most fascinating is the impressive list of academics interviewed in the course of the films making:

Professor Richard Bauckham of St Andrew’s University, Scotland on the Gospels and Eyewitness Testimony
Professor Marcus Bockmuehl of St Andrew’s University, Scotland on Gnosticism and the Gnostic Gospels
Professor James Charlesworth of Princeton University, USA on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Jesus
Professor James Dunn of Durham University, England on how ancient societies preserved traditions aurally
Professor Sean Freyne of Trinity College, Dublin on the Archaeology of Galilee (filmed on location in Israel)
Professor Martin Hengel of the University of Tübingen, Germany on the historical value of the Gospels
Professor Alanna Nobbs of Macquarie University, Australia on the Greco-Roman sources for studying Jesus
Dr. Adolfo Roitman of Shrine of the Book, Israel on the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Professor Peter Stuhlmacher of University of Tubingen, Germany on the Apostle Paul and the value of his letters for the study of the historical Jesus
Professor Christopher Tuckett of Oxford University, England on the source behind the Gospels, such as ‘Q’
Right Reverend Dr. Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, England on the importance of the Old Testament for understanding the historical Jesus

Unfortunately, it looks as if it's only being aired on an Australian channel this Good Friday. Looks as if I'll have to buy the DVD.

For samples of interviews with Bauckham and Wright, go here. (HT: Chris Tilling)

Diem on Scripture, Doctrine and the Apostolic Tradition

I'm currently reading Hermann Diem's Dogmatics, which is providing me with essential background material for understanding Childs. I came across the following quote, which I thought I'd post as an update to my previous post on Luke 24 and the Dogmatic/Exegesis Relation.

“Our study has brought us constantly face to face with the circular argument that the Spirit which has inspired Scripture can be recognised only by the Spirit which they alone have who are apo Kuriou Pneumatos (II Cor. III. 18). Nowhere is there given any definite hermeneutical method of exegesis such as would furnish secure grounds for this recognition, nor can one be subsequently inferred from the practice of NT exegesis ... . Moreover, it is not the isolated individual believer nor the theologian, in his interpretation of Scripture, it is rather the Church as such (cf., for example, I Cor. II. 6-16) which moves within this circle. But the Church is never confronted immediately by Scripture in its bareness. Just as according to the Synoptics Jesus Himself must open to the disciples the mind of Scripture, so the later Church has Apostolic doctrine which with Apostolic authority appeals to the Lord Himself as the key to the right understanding of the Bible. Hence we receive no hard and fast hermeneutical principle for the exegesis of Scripture, but a new tradition of proclamation and doctrine which claims to be the right understanding and exposition of Scripture and also to test Scriptural exegesis. Hence our question about the authorisation of Gospel teaching and proclamation must be addressed to this Apostolic tradition itself." (1959: 178)

I find this fascinating and challenging.

That's My King!

I thought this was great! Does anyone know who's speaking here?

A Remarkable Exchange of Roles

Ernst Käsemann in his report on the problems of NT scholarship in Germany [*] points out a remarkable exchange of roles in the history of NT research:

'This began about two hundred years ago with the intention of freeing the historical Jesus from the fetters of dogmatics. Now this attempt ends with the confession, made by its most radical representatives ,that the Easter faith is the Church's foundation and the sole means of access to the historical jesus Himself. In order that this spectacle, so interesting to those who understand, should not be altogether lacking in human comedy, a new orthodoxy (or what is considered such) is, at the same time, endeavouring to show that, both as regards method and intrinsic necessity, the only way out of the difficulty is to recover the life of the historical Jesus, and out of the Gospels is accordingly making factual reports. The critics have become dogmatic and the orthodox liberal. Now the fight is being waged the other way round.'” But there remains a genuine problem: “in what relation the faith, doctrine and preaching of the Church stand to the historical Jesus.”

[*] “Probleme der Neutestamentlichen Arbeit in Deutschland,” in Die Freiheit des Evangeliums und die Ordnung der Gesellschaft, 1952: 138. Cited in H. Diem, Dogmatics, 1959: 82]

Top Posts of the Week (2nd in Lent)

I've decided to start collecting the posts that have caught my eye over each week. The only thread of continuity between them is that they interest me. In fact, as I look over this list I'm surprised by how much I read on current events in the Middle East. I truly believe that this area should be the focus of attention for the coming generation. The world is not the place it was (it never is), and the Church has profound challenges before it.

So here is my selection:

PaleoJudaica: The Ark of the Covenant. Jim Davila links to an esoteric (to say the least) story from Time Magazine on the latest theory concerning the lost Israelite ark. The article's closing line: "Animating all searches for the Ark is the hope — and fear — that it will retain the unbridled divine power the Old Testament describes."If this is what animates their search, then the searchers haven't read their Bible properly: 1 Sam 4.

Dr Jim West does the blogging community a favour by uploading Zwingli's 67 articles. I haven't time to read them, unfortunately, but it's good to know they're there when I need 'em.

Large Blue Footballs links to an important article on the suffering of Palestinian Christians. An important issue. As the author concludes: "It is an awful way to live. It is more awful still that so few know, or care about it."

Another story of brutality, this time by the Egyptian government against a blogger who criticised Muhammad and President Mubarak. His punishment: four years in prison. I thought Mubarak was above such barbarity?

Zionism and the State of Israel links to an interesting article on why Jews don't like Christians who like them. By "Jews" is meant "liberal Jews" and by "Christians" is meant "Christian-Zionists." I think it's clear where the problem lies.

For an example of communication between a Christian Zionist and a Jewish (religious) Zionist, check out this e-mail on the blog of Kumah. Fascinating.

Lubab No More hosted a fascinating guest thread by Avi, an Orthodox Jew turned non-believer who's still happily married with his Orthodox believing wife.

I'm always up for theological material in formats other than text, so I appreciate Chrisendom's providing us with video interviews with Bauckham, Wright and Charlesworth.

Ora et Labora has a sobering piece on the significance of the recent events in Kosvo for the Western world.

Point of no Return translates part of an article from a Saudi paper, highlighting the growing awareness in Arab countries that the exodus of Jews and Christians is not a good thing and in fact does not correspond to the traditions of the Middle East.

Davila posts on the Biblical Hebrew Ulpan, run by Randall Booth. The language is being taught as a living, spoken language ... oh how my heart yearns for that! The course probably costs a bomb.

The Literal and Spiritual Sense of Scripture

This post inaugurates the second section of my overarching thread dealing with the theological exegesis of Brevard S. Childs. An overview of the total structure can be seen in my programmatic statement here.

I have already established here that a theological approach to Scripture must first classify the text as a “witness” to divine truth. This introduces a distinction between the mere verbal sense of the individual texts and the reality to which they give partial access. When the verbal sense of the text is provisionally relabelled the literal sense and the ultimate referent the spiritual sense, we can see the continuity of Childs' approach with traditional Christian exegesis. Theological reflection must ultimately be on the text's subject matter, so that the basic thrust of theological interpretation is from the literal to the spiritual. This move also gives the concept of allegory a new currency, as long as allegory is understood to be a means of moving to the text's ultimate subject matter while respecting the literal sense of text itself (i.e. its “integrity” or its “own voice,” what Seitz calls its “per se witness”). For how these two dimensions of the text relate to each other, stay tuned!

Jim Back Online

Due to popular support, Jim is back on-line. His new blog can be found here: http://jwest.wordpress.com/

Support for Jim West

As is now well known on the blogosphere, biblioblogging patriarch Jim West has become the victim of internet terrorism. Some childish coward hacked into his Word Press website and using his password deleted everything, his entire work. Jim has decided that is not going to start again. It wouldn't surprise me if emotional hurt has a role to play in this decision; it would for me.

Jim has been blogging longer than most and has been something of a father-figure to many. He's advertised new blogs (including this one) and has done much to encourage networking and communication amongst those interested in the field of biblical studies. It's a genuine shame to see him go and its a scandal that there are people out there offended enough to want to make him go like this. Given that most of his controversial views were related to theology, I shudder to think that a "Christian" is responsible for this ... If so, public repentance can redeem him. But your heart has to be so hard in the first place to do such a thing that apology would be the last thing on his/her mind.

Some other blogs which have voiced support for Jim are the following:

James' Thoughts and Musings

Higgaion

Awilum

Dr. Claude Mariotinni

Lingamish

Sufficiency

Metacatholic

Abnormal Interests

Chrisendom posts a letter from Jim West

Update: Sibylline Leaves has a far more detailed overview than this here.