1st Edition
Rendering the Word in Theological Hermeneutics Mapping Divine and Human Agency
This book proposes an original typology for grasping the differences between diverse types of biblical interpretation, fashioned in a triangle around a major theological and philosophical lacuna: the relation between divine and human action. Despite their purported concern for reading God's word, most modern and postmodern approaches to biblical interpretation do not seriously consider the role of divine agency as having a real influence in and on the process of reading Scripture. Mark Bowald seeks to correct and clarify this deficiency by demonstrating the inevitable role that divine agency plays in contemporary proposals in relation to human agency enacted in the composition of the biblical text and the reader. This book presents an important contribution to the emerging field of theological hermeneutics. Bowald discusses in depth the hermeneutics of George Lindbeck, Hans Frei, Kevin Vanhoozer, Francis Watson, Stephen Fowl, David Kelsey, Werner Jeanrond, Karl Barth, James K.A. Smith, and Nicholas Wolterstorff.
Biography
Mark Alan Bowald is Assistant Professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.
’This is a brave book that has an unashamed agenda and should be engaged as such... There can be no doubt, however, that this is a valuable volume that will spark further debate in the field of theological hermeneutics.’ Theological Book Review ’...yields new insights into theologians whose work is well known’ Expository Times