Participatory Biblical Exegesis A Theology of Biblical Interpretation [Hardcover]

Levering argues for a delicate interpretive balance, in which history is understood both as a process that participates in God’s creative and redemptive presence and as a set of linear moments. He identifies a split between theological and historical interpretations of scripture beginning in the high Middle Ages, considerably earlier than the emergence of historical-critical methods in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Instead, he offers a vision of Scripture that is rooted in the exegetical practice of St. Thomas Aquinas and his sources but embraces historical-critical research as well.

 

Participatory Biblical Exegesisprovides an original theological basis for critical exegesis. It integrates the work of contemporary exegetes, philosophers, theologians, and historians to provide a compelling vision of biblical interpretation.

 

"In recent years a number of theologians have addressed the growing awareness that a strictly historical approach to the interpretation of the Bible has run its course. . . . Levering's book is the most learned and sophisticated discussion of the issues to date." —Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia

"Here one of the most prolific young Catholic theologians offers a stimulating diagnosis of what's missing from contemporary perspectives on biblical interpretation. Levering's focus on properly understanding the nature of 'history' can reorient not only Catholic interpreters but also other traditions, without denying the legitimate value of critical scholarship. His nuanced recovery of thelC0