Lecture 11: Interpreting Revelation Across Cultures

Question 1

The Problem: Anachronistic and Ethnocentric readings of the Bible

Answer 1

• We need to un-learn our reading methods if we want to understand the Bible
• We need to learn a new approach to reading Scripture, which requires: knowledge of the cultural world(s) in which the Bible was written; recognition of our own modern presuppositions

Question 2

Necessary Attitudes for Interpreting Scripture

Answer 2

1. Recognition that the Bible is written from within specific cultural contexts
2. Acknowledgement of the fact that we don’t actually know anything about the ancient Middle Eastern cultures in which the Bible was written
3. Willingness to work to understand the ancient Middle Eastern cultural perspective
4. Willingness to learn how to recognize our own modern Western presuppositions

Question 3

Naive Realist:
Perspectival Realism:
Radical Perspectivalism:

Answer 3

1. confident he sees things as they are. Can directly grasp objective truth, Just see what happens (modern enlightenment view)
2. our understanding is mediated by the way someone sees the world. He doesnt know the truth for sure, just his own perspective. He could always be wrong. (there is an objective truth, but we can only see it from the perspective of our lives (critique of enlightenment that does not verge into relativism)
3. his perspective is all that matters. there is no objective reality. His perspective is the only one that matters. There is objective truth, but they can’t be sure of it (post-modern relativistic view)
   - we can’t directly access the truth. Doesn’t mean there isnt a truth
   - we need to recognize that we can’t grasp objective universal truth

Question 4

Necessary Approaches to Interpreting Scripture

Answer 4

1. Understand differences in language
2. Recognize that we project ourselves onto biblical characters
3. Recognize the essential differences in communication styles (we need to realize that we are missing essential context, and work to retrieve it. We need to recognize that our tendency to abstract biblical information from its context distorts the message)
4. Realize that the Bible was written in collectivist cultures
5. Recognize that our assumptions of similarity between ourselves and the biblical writers and characters are unwarranted
6. Be aware of differences in cognitive style