Here is a collection of resources that have helped and inspired me - as I hope they will help and inspire you as you open yourself more and more to the gift of scripture in your faith journey.
Sex and the Single Savior: Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation by Dale Martin - a friend a colleague recommended this book to me after hearing about the story of Skyline Church the past few years. This book, as well as Martin's other book on this list, Pedagogy of the Bible, makes the case for discernment among the many ways of reading scripture (as opposed to privileging one reading - particularly the historical-critical reading). Martin also gave me the gift of seeing scripture as a vast cathedral space.
Pedagogy of the Bible: An Analysis and Proposal by Dale Martin - fleshes out more explicitly Martin's thesis of the need for discernment in the Christian community among the many readings and ways of reading and interpreting scripture. I liked especially Martins exposition of Premodern (Ancient and the High Middle Ages) Biblical Interpretation in this book - which gave me an appreciation of the many ways Christians have interpreted scripture through the centuries.
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally by Marcus Borg - Jesus Seminar scholar who invites you to move from a "pre-critical naivete through critical thinking to a post-critical naivete" in comprehending the many meanings of scripture. Borg encourages us to participate in a dialogue with the writers and stories of scripture, so that they become our stories as well. This inspirational book asserts that the whole of scripture bears witness to God's ongoing overthrow of economic, political and religious powers in a cycle of exodus-liberation and exile-return.
The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong - this may be the most accessible book by Karen Armstrong, who explores the origins and uses of our scriptures (Jewish and Christian). I especially appreciated how Armstrong explains how scripture writers recorded commentary of history rather than bare reporting or recording of history.
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart Ehrman - great book that demonstrates the reality and causes of textual manuscript variants in our New Testament.Ehrman also explores the significance of these variants for Christians who see the Bible as more than a magical book. If you like this book, you might also be interested in Ehrman's Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them).
The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart by Peter Gomes -another inspiration for this course I read several years ago. Writes of scripture as a public, living, and inclusive word that "points to the truth" because it "comes from the truth that we call God". His book includes a helpful exploration of scriptural interpretation and twelve topical illustrations of scriptural interpretive discernment.
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Israel Finkelstein and Asher Silberman - challenging and fascinating book presenting a story of scriptural origins supported by the latest archaeological finds. Finkelstein and Silberman draw on the learnings of archaeological surveys (covering large areas rather than specific sites in order to discover signs of broader cultural and migration patterns) to make a case that the Torah and historical books of the former prophets were compiled chiefly during Josiah's reign in the late 6th century BCE using ancient stories to interpret Israel's hopes for a new future.
God: A Biography by Jack Miles - Pulitzer-prizewinning book that examines the Hebrew Bible in the order in which the books were written from a literary critical perspective to make a case that God needs people in order to grow in self understanding as a literary character. Miles uses this unique perspective to present a reading that takes seriously the literary style and content of the Hebrew Bible.
Personal Mark by Alec McGowan - an actor who spent some time on Broadway reciting Mark (all the rage in the late 80's and early 90's, believe it or not) reflects on the things he learned while studying for this role as Gospel chronicler. In spite of McGowan's limited scholarly knowledge of scripture (he relies heavily on Barclay's commentaries on the New Testament), he brings a fresh perspective on the familiar stories of Marks' Gospel from a dramatic perspective.
Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel: A Study in Literary Design by Alan Culpepper - great book I used in divinity school as an introduction to a literary critical approach to interpreting the Gospel of John. Culpepper offers this more comprehensive approach to understanding and appreciating the fourth Gospel as a compliment to historical-critical scholarship. In his introduction, Culpepper uses the analogy of the text as a window into another cultural context when approached from a historical, sociological, and theological critical perspective. He contrasts this analogy to seeing the text as a mirror that produces meaning in the "experience of reading the text as a whole" when approached from a literary critical point of view. Seen in this light, "the implicit purpose of the gospel narrative is to alter irrevocably the readers' perception of the real world" Culpepper asserts. His book focus on the narrator, narrative time, plot, characters, and the implicit commentary and readers of the gospel.
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith by Marcus Borg - a good example of a genre of books written by members of the "Jesus Seminar" to illustrate the quest for the historical Jesus (as opposed to confessional Christ/Messiah). While this project threatens some Christians, Borg's work highlights Jesus' humanity and enables long-time followers of Jesus (like me) to relate to Jesus as a human being - and thus take inspiration from his very real, very human life.
Praying with the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life by Roy DeLeon - this is the book we used for the body prayer exercise the second week we met (Psalm 34).
The Divine Hours (in three volumes) compiled by Phyllis Tickle - this is the book (the Winter volume) we used to read around the table the first day we met. You can also find these prayers of the hours online.
Resurrection: Myth or Reality? A Bishop's Search for the Origins of Christianity by John Shelby Spong - provides a fascinating take on the scriptures that communicate stories of the resurrection, beginning with Paul's 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, which Spong calls the earliest written account of the resurrection. Spong also concentrates on the resurrection account in John 21 and the parallel account in Luke 5:1-11 as a story of a resurrection Sunday "season". This book will challenge your notions of resurrection, but it demonstrates how a close reading of scripture can unveil new possibilities of meaning and understanding. In his book, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, John Dominic Crossan uses much the same exploratory reading style in his chapter titled: "How Many Years was Easter Sunday?"
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Hey Bo,
ReplyDeleteWhat was the name of the "thread" Bible you mentioned in study this week?
Here is how I have been reading. Upon your recommendation, I have been "pre-reading" the selection picked out for service. I read the sermon notes, and reflect. The insight here unlocks what historically for me has been topical and irrelevant (I don't have sheep). I am learning more about myself as a reader, and recognizing that part of my disenfranchisement from the written word, is a result of my need to process what I am reading in a literal sense. Our seductive information age is unrelenting in its 'knowlegde' and is ever changing (or driving) cultural trends. Patience for figurative speech is not practiced in what we read in our daily lives (at least not on my reading list). I in no way believe in a literal sense, but have come to have minimal patience for words. Your sermon's points on relevancy help me to translate cultural or period differences, but coming to study has given me another opportunity to root through the words to find another message, maybe the real message. Hearing the words again in service offer me a third experience, where I can witness the message through a different filter. Repetition, isolation, reiteration have helped with focus. Who knew a few sentences could command so much discussion.
Why does God's voice have to be mystic and hidden? Maybe the practices and routines we are learning about will help me shed precepts, develop patience, and clean my mind in order to recognize that the delivery mechanism suits the message.
Brooks,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear about your passion and the good things that are happening in terms of opening yourself more and more to the depths of God's wisdom. Is that too melodramatic a statement? I don't think so.
I like your question about why the message must be shrouded. I could suggest something like the parable of Moses wanting to see God's face in Exodus 33:18-23, but that doesn't satisfy me because maybe it means we can never know. Actually, the theme of seeing (or hearing) but not seeing (or not hearing) shows up in many places in scripture. There's another case of explanation of hidden truth in John 16:12-13, which intrigues me because it hints at something beyond that we can know with time.
Maybe lots of time =)
After hearing Pastor Bo’s recommendations, I have been reading Karen Armstrong’s book, The Bible: A Biography . It has been a good read, placing various exegeses in historical context. Given my conservative background, I have much heard of it before, but flipped in an apology and counter-argument from the conservative view point. The book is well written and cleverly manages to weave historical context and various abstract philosophical concepts into a story line about biblical exegeses that never ventures into dry or dense language. I would recommend it to anyone.
ReplyDeleteMy one point of disappointment is that Armstrong’s biographical writing style in the book assumes certain “facts” (e.g., dates recorded, authorship, editing) that are debated from various viewpoints, but she never acknowledges in clear text that these concepts and ideas are in debate. This leaves that casual reader with the idea that the historical narrative in the book is the only factual view point.
That one point aside, I am enjoying Armstrong’s book. In addition, I am finding comfort in the tradition of allegory that my own interpretation of scripture has evolved into over the past seven or so years. I look forward to more discussion. 8^)
For those interested in an easy to read summary article discussing various positions on the accuracy of the biblical narrative, here is an article from Time.com. The article does a good job providing an easy to read summary of various positions regarding archaeological evidence and the Bible.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983854-1,00.html