Lecture 3
Hansie Wolmarans
This lecture is loosely based on the third chapter
of Marcus Borg’s Book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time.
Introduction
In reading the Bible a responsible reader normally
asks two questions: (a) What is the original meaning and function of this
passage (historical question) and (b) What does it say to me? (Literary
question). We are going to look at both approaches.
The Historical Approach
The Bible was written over a large period. Sections
of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are dated to around
900BCE and the book of Daniel to 165 BCE. The oldest book of the New Testament,
Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, was written around 50CE, whilst the latest
book, 2 Peter, came into existence around 125-150CE. If we do not understand
the historical background of the biblical passages, we will tend to practice
ventriloquism, that it, we will make the Bible say what we want.
Various disciplines have been developed to study
the Bible’s historical background. Source Criticism inquiries into the sources
for a text. Form Criticism looks at oral forms and their setting in a community
(e.g. at what occasions Psalm 110 were sung). Redaction Criticism tries to give
an account of what passages were added to or deleted from texts. Canonical
Criticism tries to understand the place of a book within the canon—e.g. how the
book Song of Songs, a love song, with no reference to God, fits into the
overall message of the Bible. Social Scientific Criticism tries to understand
the societies reflected in the various texts, e.g. pure agrarian societies, the
factors of honour and shame, the monarchy, the position of men, women,
children, slaves, foreigners and sex-workers, as well as religious practices.
Finally Textual Criticism attempts to reconstruct from the many manuscripts we
have of the biblical books, the original words. (Unfortunately we do not have
the original manuscript on which any biblical book was written).
These
approaches to the Bible sometimes disillusion enthusiastic theological
students. They realise that the events of Babel is story not history, or that
there are two stories of creation in Genesis which contradict each other in
important aspects. These approaches also do no answer the question ‘What does
this text mean for me?’
Reading the Bible as Literature
The Bible as literature has been inspiring readers
for millennia. The disciplines involved are also diverse. Hermeneutics has to
do with the way in which we read the texts (e.g. as allegorical). Narrative
Theology studies stories to understand what they say about God. Literary
Criticism wants to understand texts as products of literature (genre, figurative
language). Archetypal Criticism looks at the symbols and archetypes found in
stories, e.g. that of the hero, which appears in all cultures. If used
irresponsibly, these approaches also have their limitations.
When
St Augustine commented on the story of David and Goliath in the fifth century
CE, he interpreted the story allegorically (not literally). For him, David
refers to Christ. Goliath is Satan. The five pebbles David took from the river
signify the Pentateuch. The stone which killed Goliath is the New Testament,
which balances the laws of the Pentateuch with grace. The river flowing over
the pebbles denotes the Jews who received the law and passed it by. Augustine’s
interpretation has little to do with the text itself. It is a good example of
ventriloquism. Therefore we need controls when interpreting the Bible as
literature, such us understanding the text in its historical context, our sense
of meaning in the Bible as a whole, our understanding of the Christian story,
our sense of morality and our own context.
The Bible as History and Literature
The Bible is a combination of history and
literature, facts and fiction. Its books reflect how Ancient Israel and Early
Christianity remembered their past, and how they made sense of it. Some stories
contain both historical and literary elements. The exile of the Jews is
historical. However, it also developed into a literary motif, that Christians
feel they live as exiles in this world. Similarly, Jesus historically speaking
carried a cross. Christians feel that their lives consist in carrying a cross,
and making sacrifices for the common good.
Pure
literary fiction is also found in many books of the Bible. These would include
the stories of creation and human origins in Genesis, of Jonah swallowed by a
huge fish, of Balaam’s talking donkey, of the sun standing still in the time of
Joshua, of Jesus walking on the water, multiplying loaves and fish, changing
water into wine, and the birth stories of Jesus. In deciding whether these
stories are fictional, we need to be guided by various factors. (a) Elements in
the story would tell us (for example, we have contradictory information between
the two creation stories of Genesis). (b) Normally if New Testament stories
embellish on Old Testament motifs, they are fictional. We don’t find a birth
story of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. The Gospels of Luke and Matthew differ in
their details, and they seem to draw on motifs from Isaiah 60. (c) Common
sense: are the events described in the story repeatable? This does not preclude
that Jesus did, for example, heal the blind in a literal and metaphorical
sense. Our modern sense of what is possible should not be applied uncritically
to the pre-modern world reflected in the Bible.
Making Sense of the Biblical Stories in Building
Relationships
Most stories in the Bible are about the
relationship between Israel and God, or Early Christianity and God as disclosed
in Jesus. The exodus story, for example, moving from servitude to freedom, is
true in every generation. It proclaims that it is the will of God that we be
liberated from bondage. Other stories explore how we relate to ourselves, to
others and with nature. Therefore, there are various ways to read the Bible.
The Book of Hebrews, Chapters 5-6, refers to a milk phase (referring to
doctrines like repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of
the dead and eternal judgement). There is also a solid foods phase (referring
to a moral life of perfection). Similarly, Borg distinguishes three approaches
to the Bible. We can read it as infants, teenagers or adults. Some people get
stuck in one of the phases. We need to lead people from one phase to the other
in a gentle and understanding way. (a) Reading as Children—wwe accept authority
uncritically. We experience the stories of the Bible as literally true. Joseph
and Mary did travel to Bethlehem; Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem; the
angels really did sing to the shepherds; the wise men, bearing gifts, were
really led by a star. (b) Reading as Teenagers—we rebel against authority. We
start to doubt tradition and childhood stories. Are babies really delivered by
storks? Does Father Christmas really bring the presents? Is there a tooth
fairy? Did creation really happen in six days? Were Adam and Eve real people? Did
a star lead the wise men? Often people feel deceived by the church when they
reach this stage, and abandon faith. (c) Reading like Adults—we again hear the
biblical stories again as true, not literally, but spiritually. A Native
American storyteller introduced a creation story like this, ‘Now I don’t know
if it happened this way or not, but I know this story is true.’ The virgin
birth is interpreted as expressing the significance of Jesus. The healing of
the blind is interpreted as becoming enlightened. This approach assists us to
find meaning the Bible we love.
