Kris Sonek
Senior Lecturer at Catholic Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia.
Address: 278 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002
PO Box 146, East Melbourne VIC 8002
Australia
Address: 278 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002
PO Box 146, East Melbourne VIC 8002
Australia
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The book proposes a hermeneutical theory which uses modern approaches to literary texts for the exegesis of biblical narratives. The book discusses three spheres of the reader’s knowledge about reality: immanent, narrative, and transcendental. The move from immanent to transcendental knowledge through the mediation of narrative knowledge results from the mediatory role played by the biblical text, which refers the reader to a transcendent reality. This theory is then applied to the exegesis of Genesis 21:1–21, and involves the evaluation of the New Criticism, rhetorical criticism, structuralism and narrative analysis, reader-response criticism, the historical-critical method, as well as deconstruction. In order to satisfy the postulate of pluralism in interpretation, the hermeneutical theory draws upon a variety of ancient and modern sources such as Aristotle, T. S. Eliot, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Paul Ricœur.
Articles (version 1)
Put briefly, this paper makes three claims. First, it argues that a good grasp of the general principles of rabbinic and patristic exegesis complemented by a study of the reception history of specific biblical passages leads to a better understanding of the historical process of differentiation between Judaism and Christianity. Secondly, and specifically, the paper demonstrates that while Jewish rabbis used Gen. 15:5 to emphasize Abraham’s belief in the One God and his rejection of astrology, their Christian counterparts decided to develop a different reading of this verse despite the fact that most of them also perceived astrology as a real threat to their communities. Thirdly, the paper makes an attempt to explain the differences between the Jewish and Christian interpretation of Gen. 15:5 by analysing the respective theological presuppositions of the interpreters, the canonical context of their exegesis, and their contrasting understanding of the role played by Abraham in tradition.
Articles (version 2)
Reviews (version 1)
The book proposes a hermeneutical theory which uses modern approaches to literary texts for the exegesis of biblical narratives. The book discusses three spheres of the reader’s knowledge about reality: immanent, narrative, and transcendental. The move from immanent to transcendental knowledge through the mediation of narrative knowledge results from the mediatory role played by the biblical text, which refers the reader to a transcendent reality. This theory is then applied to the exegesis of Genesis 21:1–21, and involves the evaluation of the New Criticism, rhetorical criticism, structuralism and narrative analysis, reader-response criticism, the historical-critical method, as well as deconstruction. In order to satisfy the postulate of pluralism in interpretation, the hermeneutical theory draws upon a variety of ancient and modern sources such as Aristotle, T. S. Eliot, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Paul Ricœur.
Put briefly, this paper makes three claims. First, it argues that a good grasp of the general principles of rabbinic and patristic exegesis complemented by a study of the reception history of specific biblical passages leads to a better understanding of the historical process of differentiation between Judaism and Christianity. Secondly, and specifically, the paper demonstrates that while Jewish rabbis used Gen. 15:5 to emphasize Abraham’s belief in the One God and his rejection of astrology, their Christian counterparts decided to develop a different reading of this verse despite the fact that most of them also perceived astrology as a real threat to their communities. Thirdly, the paper makes an attempt to explain the differences between the Jewish and Christian interpretation of Gen. 15:5 by analysing the respective theological presuppositions of the interpreters, the canonical context of their exegesis, and their contrasting understanding of the role played by Abraham in tradition.