Apply the whole of ourselves to the text;

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Apply the whole of ourselves to the text Apply
the text wholly to yourself! J.A. Bengel
(1687-1752)
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• Bengel worded it as an exhortation.
• With us as the active agents in the interpretive
  process.

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However, what if we write it this way, Apply
the whole of ourselves to the text And the text
will apply itself wholly to you!
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• This becomes more of a promise relying upon an
  outside agent, the Holy Spirit.
• The Bible ceases to be an object rather the Word
  takes hold of us.
• We bring questions to the Bible and the Word in
  turn questions us.
• We come to the Bible as a container with meaning
  and the Word transforms reading into an
  encounter.
• E.g., Beethovens 9th as a music score or as an
  event

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Three Worlds of Text
In present scholarship, we can categorize three
different groups of theories, regarding the
location of meaning 1. World Behind the text
(Author-centered) 2. World Within the text
(Text-centered) 3. World in front of the text
(Reader-centered)
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Three Worlds of Text

• World Behind the text (Author-centered)
• Meaning is assumed to lie in the authors
  intention formulated in terms of social,
  political, and cultural matrix of the author.
  Questions asked, What prompted Luke to
  write this? What did he mean when he wrote?
  What historical situations influenced his
  work?

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Three Worlds of the Text

• World Behind the text (Author-centered)
• Three Critical Approaches associated with
  historical-critical method
• Source Criticism Synoptic Problem
• Form Criticism Bultmann
• Redaction Criticism Author as Theologian

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Three Worlds of the Text
1. World Behind the text (Author-centered) Problem
with looking for meaning only with this
historical approach With the huge amount of
attention given to the world behind the text . .
. The text itself and the reader was overlooked.
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Three Worlds of the Text
2. World Within the text (Text-centered) Emphasis
upon the text as the place where meaning is
housed Rise of Literary Criticism
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Three Worlds of the Text

• 2. World Within the text (Text-centered)
• Problem
• Text becomes autonomous, disconnected from
  history, author, and reader.
• Text becomes a container for meaning, to be
  conquered

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Three Worlds of the Text

• 3. World in front of text (Reader-centered)
• Each reader brings to the text a different set of
  presuppositions, experiences, interests,
  competencies
• Reader creates meaning in his/her encounter
  with the text
• Rise of Reader-Response Criticism

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Three Worlds of the Text

• 3. World in front of text (Reader-centered)
• Problem
• Meaning can be seen as an invention of the
  reader, separate from the intention of the author
  or the historical situation at work in the
  original writing.
• Each reading is a new meaning. No stable
  meaning of a text.

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Three Worlds of the Text

• Answer An Integrated Solution
• Meaning is a conversation between
• Narrative World of Text
• Real World of Reader
• Historical World of the Author
• Interpretation will be impaired when any one
  world is given exclusive reign while neglecting
  of the other two!

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Simple Communication Matrix
Sender Speaker (or author)
Message Spoken (or written)
Receiver Listener (or reader)
Feedback
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Biblical Interpretation
Spirit
Spirit
Reading Event
Writer Thinks
2000 Year Space - Time Barrier
Moves
Moves
Our Task
1. Observe Text
Written Text
2. Ask Key Text-Driven Questions
3. Answer Questions Using Textual Evidence and
Interpretive tools (Word Studies/Cultural
Historical Background, etc.)