bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What Is Theological Interpretation of Scripture?
Authors: Moberly R. W. L. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This essay offers some working definitions of theological interpretation before proceeding to considering something of the range of recent contributions to the field, contributions that are interdisciplinary, ecumenical, and interfaith. Moberly relates these to the development of his own understanding of theological interpretation, which includes the need to attend seriously to ideological critiques. Certain problems in recent work are highlighted—disproportion between theory and practice, injudicious rhetoric, Childs's failure to implement his own program, an uncomprehending inertia preference for older approaches—before a brief conclusion that suggests that renewed theological interpretation opens up fresh possibilities for understanding difficult texts such as Gen 22 and Josh 6.
Reading Job as Theological Disruption for a Post-Holocaust World
Authors: Tollerton David C. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The book of Job is cited with frequency within discourse on the Holocaust because of its protagonist's status as an archetypal figure of undeserved suffering. This article suggests that it may be further viewed as a resource in this context in a differing way: as a polyphonic text that acts as a disruptive force against finalized theological conceptualizations of unwarranted suffering. This urge to resist theodicy is one that has been often articulated by respondents to the Holocaust wishing to avoid the event's absorption into broader religious narratives. Yet, in certain instances, this is counter-voiced by a powerful drift toward theological resolution that renders appeals of this sort to "antitheodicy" and fragmentation little more than rhetoric. To consider these dynamics, two post-Holocaust receptions of the book of Job will be examined—those of David Blumenthal and Irving Greenberg. Job, it will be proposed, when understood as an internally dissonant text that queries its own utilization by theologians, can as act as a subversive force within Holocaust memory that pushes against finalization, forgetfulness, and religious "acceptance" of this radically dark element of modern history.
Stumbling over the Testaments: On Reading Patristic Exegesis and the Old Testament in Light of the New
Authors: McGinnis Claire Mathews 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This essay begins with the distinction between two questions: why is patristic exegesis important, and why might a contemporary reader—particularly a university-trained biblical scholar—benefit from reading it? It observes that patristic exegesis has played an important role in the spiritual practice of lectio divina, and for this reason, it promises to help counter some of the ways in which the forces of professionalization and fragmentation in the theological disciplines undermine our ability to think theologically as exegetes and to converse with Christianity's long exegetical tradition. The essay argues that if biblical scholars are to find something of enduring value in patristic exegesis and some way of appropriating what we find there, we need a clearly articulated understanding of the relationship between the two Testaments of the Christian Bible, as well as an understanding of how Christ might be found in the first of those Testaments in a way that takes into account the ongoing life of these same biblical texts in Jewish interpretation and practice. The remainder of the essay explores three contemporary ways of conceiving of the relationship between the Testaments. The first and third of these allow for ways of reading the OT in light of the NT that avoid the dangers of supersessionism, while the second offers some cautions and touches on the place of Christian theological exegesis in the larger pluralistic context of biblical studies.
Deuteronomy as the "Ipsissima Vox" of Moses
Authors: Arnold Bill T. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Research on ancient Israel's legal corpora has focused in recent years on the way these portions of the Pentateuch relate to each other diachronically. This sort of research opens new avenues for investigating the significance of Deuteronomy's self-attribution as the speeches of Moses and may address the supposed impasse between fideism and skepticism among today's hermeneutical options. This article explores the methodological options in light of the book's attributions to Moses and proposes that Deuteronomy should be understood as the ipsissima vox rather than the ipsissima verba of Moses.
"Interpret the Bible Like Any Other Book"? Requiem for an Axiom
Authors: Moberly R. W. L. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
After a brief historical overview of the use of the axiom that one should "interpret the Bible like any other book," the valid concerns of the axiom are noted and affirmed prior to the formulation of an argument for its abandonment. Primary concerns in the argument are the difference of contemporary social and ecclesial contexts from the Christendom context within which the axiom was formulated, the characteristically polemical and theologically underdeveloped use of the axiom by its proponents, the complex and pluriform nature both of texts and of reading, and the differences made by canonical preservation and religious use to the assumptions and expectations with which the biblical text is approached.
The Christian Significance of Deuteronomy 7
Authors: Earl Douglas S. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Deuteronomy 7 is a challenging text for the Christian reader of Scripture. On the one hand, it appears to give content to faithful responsiveness to the Shema' (Deut 6:4–9) in the context of Yhwh's love and election of Israel relating to the rejection of idolatry and allegiances that lead to idolatry. On the other hand, it is perhaps the primary expression of חרם‎ in the OT, commanding the utter annihilation of the local inhabitants of the promised land as Israel enters the land, and is thus a deeply problematic text. This essay will address the Christian significance of the text in several stages. First, the use of neostructuralist analysis coupled with careful analysis of the text in its context in Deuteronomy will clarify the function of the text as discourse as well as provide a frame of reference for considering its later significance, which is studied in the context of the OT and the NT. Second, the history of the Christian reception and use of the text is considered before, third, considering the nature of faithful responsiveness to God in regard to the problem of idolatry and how the perception of idolatry has developed theologically. Finally, the question of the contemporary Christian significance of Deut 7 is considered, with some exploration of the hermeneutical issues that this raises for Christian reading of the OT.
Reunderstanding How to "Understand the Scripture"
Authors: Bridges Matthew M. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
When the disciples discover the empty tomb in John 20:9, the text offers a puzzling commentary on this discovery: "For they did not yet understand the scripture, that it was necessary that he rise from the dead." This commentary assumes a certain understanding of the OT yet does not point to a particular reference of the OT in the text of John, making this reference a difficult and confusing one. It is not, however, a sweeping transnarrative theme or an explicitly marked quotation of OT Scripture—none of the "marked" OT quotations concern the resurrection—that offers an answer to the puzzling comment. Rather, the solution comes out of the story of the raising of Lazarus. From this pericope (John 11:38–44), three proposals clarify the meaning of John 20:9. (1) In the Lazarus story, Jesus explicitly "prays" (John 11:41–42) a quotation of Ps 118:5, 21, 28. (2) The author further utilizes Ps 118 by drawing out the metaphor of the stone, a familiar Christological symbol, from the context of the quotation. (3) The stone, as a familiar but reconstituted symbol, literarily connects the Lazarus story with the resurrection story, and, by this connection, shows how the Gospel of John reads the resurrection from this one OT Scripture.
Following the Church Fathers: An Intertextual Path from Psalm 107 to Isaiah, Jonah, and Matthew 8:23–27
Authors: Stone Timothy J. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Can the history of interpretation inform and guide readings of Scriptures that have been neglected by that same tradition? Psalm 107 exemplifies one such neglected text. This article approaches the task by working within the presuppositions of precritical Christian theology and by following the many exegetical clues of precritical readers. On this foundation, I examine the pivotal role of Ps 107 within the shape of the Psalter; it marks the return from exile within the narrative arc of the collection. I continue to examine the exile in the structure of Ps 107, the four episodes of which illustrate the extent of the return from the four corners of the earth. Then I investigate the psalm's textual resonances with Isaiah and Jonah. Following the intertextual lead of precritical readers, I explore Jonah and Ps 107:23–32 in light of Matt 8:23–27 and its symbolic role in the Gospel of Matthew as a whole. I argue that the stilling of the storm is a preview to Jesus' death and resurrection. This adds an exegetical foundation to the varied use of the sign of Jonah by the Church Fathers. With them I agree that the sign of Jonah in Matthew refers to Jesus' death and resurrection. I conclude that Matt 8:23–27 serves as a lens through which Ps 107 and Jonah interpret the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Reading the Bible with Eyes of Faith: The Practice of Theological Exegesis
Authors: Hays Richard B. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article proposes that faith is the epistemological precondition for reading Scripture well and argues for a recovery of theological exegesis of the Bible. After a short introduction, the second part of the article critically surveys recent arguments for nontheological exegesis (Räisänen, Fox, Meeks). The third part of the article suggests that theological exegesis is not a method but a practice and then programmatically sets forth 12 identifying marks of the practice of theological exegesis. The final section of the article offers an example of the approach advocated here, by giving a reading of Luke 7:18–23. Contrary to the findings of modernist criticism, Luke does not represent a low Christology. By attending more fully to the OT intertexts evoked by this passage, especially Isa 35, we gain a firmer grasp of the theological coherence between Luke's testimony and the church's dogmatic tradition about the identity of Jesus.
Texts in Context: Scripture and the Divine Economy
Authors: Rae Murray 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
In this article I investigate the phenomenon of hermeneutical plurality with respect to biblical texts. My purpose is to defend the legitimacy of claims that a scriptural text may speak in ways that diverge from the "original meaning" of a text, so far as that may be discerned, but also to offer a theological account of the limits that must be set upon this hermeneutical freedom. I begin by locating my argument within the landscape of recent hermeneutical debates, go on to explore, as a case study, the text of Isa 52:13–53:12, and then develop a theological account of what is involved in speaking of the "meaning" of a biblical text.
Interpretation on the Way to Emmaus: Jesus Performs His Story
Authors: Laytham D. Brent 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Using recent claims that scriptural interpretation is a kind of performance, this article examines the "Walk to Emmaus" in Luke 24. There Jesus is presented as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture, both in his verbal performance on the road and his table performance in Emmaus. Luke's telling of Jesus' performance on the road both claims the Scriptures (soon to become the Christian OT) for Christ and frees the church for Christological readings. Luke's contrast between disheartened disciples and risen Christ reveals Jesus as the one who not only knows but is where the scriptural story is going. At table in Emmaus, the risen Jesus prompts their recognition by performance. He performs his identity by two enacted resemblances to prior meals: taking the role of host and a characteristic fourfold action that is recognizably similar to the feeding of the 5,000 and the Last Supper. Just as those prior meals were themselves performances of Scripture, both recalling and anticipating God's redemption, so Jesus' breaking of bread in Emmaus performs Scripture fulfilled in his death and resurrection. Refocusing on Jesus' table performance allows a clear connection between those meals, the breaking of bread in Acts, and the later Eucharist, while avoiding anachronistic claims about early Christian practice or Lukan intentionality. Finally, the article displays how "text talk" and table performance enable the two disciples to improvise their own faithful performance of Scripture in Jerusalem.
The Cost of Losing Lament for the Community of Faith: On Brueggemann, Ecclesiology, and the Social Audience of Prayer
Authors: Suderman W. Derek 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
In "The Costly Loss of Lament," Walter Brueggemann argues that the contemporary tendency to drop lament language ensures that victims remain voiceless and the status quo unchallenged. In doing so, however, Brueggemann describes lament as involving two parties—God and the psalmist—and does not adequately acknowledge its social element. This article pays increased attention to this third party of lament in order both to address Brueggemann's main theological concern and to reveal the crucial function of this form of speech at an ecclesial level. Social address to this broader community moves lament from an individual encounter with the divine into a profoundly social context that highlights the significance of a listening community committed to hear such cries and discern a faithful response. Heightened awareness of its social element reveals yet another significant cost of losing lament. By suppressing this form of speech, the faith community becomes increasingly deaf to cries for justice and loses its ability to discern the complex ambiguities they reflect. Eliminating the scriptural means of being confronted by lament fosters a deaf, dumb, and immobilized faith community in the face of injustice, which may be the most costly loss of all.
Abraham and the Reformation: Romans 4 and the Theological Interpretation of Aquinas and Calvin
Authors: Raith Charles 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The diversity that exists within the history of the church's engagement with Rom 4 demonstrates the difficulty in understanding Paul's question "What shall we say about our father Abraham?" and the answer he provides. Paul's teaching on "imputing" Abraham's faith as justice and his opposition to "works of the flesh," however, were key points for the Reformers' disputes against the Catholic Church's teaching on justification as transformation and the inclusion of works in justification. In this essay, I explore the theological interpretations of John Calvin, a clear proponent of the imputational model of justification, and Thomas Aquinas, a clear articulator of the transformational model, and analyze how they address Paul's teaching on works of the flesh and justification by faith. I illustrate how philosophical and theological judgments pertaining to the relation of justification to the law, the dynamics of justification itself, and the causal relationship between divine and human willing interact with the text of Rom 4 to produce two distinct articulations of what Paul says about our father Abraham. I conclude by noting that Calvin's concerns are largely met by Aquinas's interpretation but without the strong dichotomy between justification by faith and justification by works.
Paul, Allegory, and the Plain Sense of Scripture: Galatians 4:21–31
Authors: Gignilliat Mark 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article deals primarily with presuppositions associated with allegory/figural reading and its relationship to what we might call the plain sense of Scripture. Paul's allegorical appeal in Gal 4:21–31 will serve as an illustration of the major themes addressed. This article seeks to place Paul's allegorical appeal squarely within the church's exegetical tradition of figural reading. Drawing on the terminology of Brevard Childs, it will query whether Paul's allegorical reading of the Sarah/Hagar story fits within the "family resemblance" of Christian reading of the OT. Two questions are central to this inquiry: (1) What is the relationship between typology and allegory? (2) What is the relationship between the sensus literalis and figural reading? Following from these two central questions is a third: Can Paul's allegorical reading be called a "plain sense" reading of the Genesis narrative?
Effective History and the Cultivation of Wise Interpreters
Authors: Fowl Stephen 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Theological interpreters' longstanding interest in premodern biblical interpretation makes it reasonable to explore the theory and practice of reception history and H-G. Gadamer's notion of Wirkungsgeschichte. I argue that, although debates about attending to premodern interpretation through producing histories of reception, on the one hand, and arguments about Wirkungsgeschichte, on the other hand, are or can be closely related to each other, they are not necessarily connected. Claims about the importance of premodern interpretation for theological interpreters can be deeply grounded in attention to Wirkungsgeschichte and the cultivation of an effective historical consciousness, but this account of Wirkungsgeschichte is separable from the theory and practice of reception history.
Using the Fathers
Authors: Reno R. R. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Scholarly study of the biblical exegesis of the church fathers has increased significantly. However, authors of contemporary commentaries are little influenced by patristic exegesis. This lack of influence flows from a number of factors. Most commentaries are written by biblical scholars who are formed by the modern tradition of historical-critical analysis. The few theologians who write commentaries have their own modern habits of mind that tend toward conceptual abstraction. Both types of modern scholar tend to make different assumptions about the Bible and the purposes of exegesis than did the church fathers. Recovering the exegetical genius of the church fathers requires adopting their assumptions, as least in part. This is as much a spiritual as an intellectual challenge.
"Who Is This?" Narration of the Divine Identity of Jesus in Matthew 21:10—17
Authors: Nelson Andrew E. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This essay attends to the Christological significance of Jesus' use of Scripture by focusing on the intertextual dynamics of Matt 21:10–17. When Jesus speaks the words of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the Psalms, he does not merely cite these texts to justify his prophetic actions. Rather, Jesus' use of these texts pressures readers of Matthew to understand that Jesus speaks about himself as God's Son. Furthermore, Matthew's narration of the divine identity of Jesus as the Son of God in Matt 21:10–17 coheres with the Son of God Christology throughout the first Gospel. As an entryway into this argument, this essay considers what the quest for the historical Jesus has obscured or overlooked by focusing on whether or how Jesus "cleansed" the temple (Matt 21:12–13). For example, questions about the historicity of Matt 21:12–13 and its parallels in the other Gospels have obscured the literary and theological significance of Matt 21:14–17. Furthermore, recent commentators, as heirs of the quest for the historical Jesus, have too often followed these historians by wrongly construing Matt 21:12–17 as a distinct literary unit. By appreciating the literary unity of Matt 21:1–17, this essay identifies the question, "Who is this?" in Matt 21:10 as the driving point that holds Matt 21:1–17 together and urges the interpreter to ask questions about Jesus' divine identity.
Immortality in Romans 2:6–11
Authors: de Waal Dryden J. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The following essay is an experiment in exegetical method accenting the utility of theological interpretation in resolving historic tensions between theological and exegetical convictions. It introduces a new theological category (onto-ethical rhetoric) as a means of addressing some longstanding exegetical difficulties in Rom 2:6–11. After canvassing those difficulties along with the history of previous approaches, the contours of onto-ethical discourse will be charted through examples from early Christian and ancient Jewish literature. We will see that onto-ethical discourse marries a reference to an ontological entity or quality with its corresponding moral significance, and assumes both are communicated in the ontological reference. It will be suggested that the onto-theological presuppositions typical of western consciousness have historically blinded us to the dynamics of onto-ethical rhetoric. After describing this rhetoric, with a special emphasis on the semantic domain of "immortality," we will return to Rom 2:6–11 and see how sensitivity to Paul's onto-ethical understanding of immortality can solve many of the difficulties surrounding this text and yield some important theological insights into Paul's understanding of the proper place for works and rewards in the proclamation of the gospel.
Factors in the Choice of Referential Forms in Korean Discourse: Salience, Speaker Perspective and Thematic Importance
Authors: Kim Hae-Young 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
This paper identifies factors that influence the choice of the third person reference, from the spectrum of zero to explicit forms, in Korean spoken discourse. Tokens of third person references were collected from retellings of a silent film (“Modern Times”) and analyzed in terms of their position in the interlocutors' discursive space, that is, cognitive status, as defined by the 'Givenness Hierarchy' (Gundel, Hedberg & Zacharski, 1993). It is shown that Korean zero pronouns function identically to lexical pronouns of subject-prominent languages like English or Spanish. It is also shown that Korean indefinite determiners (e.g. etten) signal persistence of the referent while definite determiners (e.g. i, ku, ce) encode thematic importance and speaker perspective.
The Development of the Cultural Video Project and Its Impact on Korean Learning
Authors: Roh Jaemin 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
This study sought to evaluate the potential of a customized, video-based language learning instrument, the Cultural Video Project (CVP), which was designed to meet the needs of both heritage and non-heritage students learning Korean in a mixed university classroom setting. The CVP was a series of short authentic Korean video clips and matching assignments that the researcher created. The goal of this study was to design and create the CVP, document the implementation of the CVP, and then to assess the effect the CVP had on students' language and culture acquisition. The selected videos were adapted from contemporary Korean broadcasting programs and Korean films. Each video segment displayed linguistic structures, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and cultural conventions that were partly addressed in the course's elementary Korean curriculum. The CVP videos were available on the school's Blackboard for students to use for practice and review, and were presented during the classroom lessons. The findings reveal that through the CVP practice, students increased their cultural understanding, improved their listening skills, but there was no test score difference between heritage and non-heritage students. Students reported that authentic video instruction improved their understanding of language use in a variety of culturally specific social situations.