In The Parables of Jesus, Louis Schottroff presents her approach to interpreting religious texts from a socio-historical perspective. In this piece, she directly addresses the presuppositions that interpreters have when analyzing texts and the faults in ecclesial methods for analyzing biblical literature. Schottroff’s method encompasses analyzing the socio-historical context and using an eschatological reading of the parable in order to understand the implication that the text has on the community during the time in which the parable was created. Through her method, Schottroff is able to combat ecclesial views of Christian superiority and the linear analysis of the coming of the Kingdom of God by analyzing the implications of these parables …show more content…
An ecclesial reading parable creates a strict duality between those who were perceived as good and those who are perceived as bad. Those who are characterized as good by this parable are the ones who have the knowledge and “present themselves as good wives (29).” The fact that the good wives do not share their oil with the bad wives shows that the goal for the women during this time was to find a suitable husband (31). The wise women did not share their knowledge or oil with the naive women, who end then end had the door closed on them and were therefore not able to be with the bridegroom. The ecclesial reading of this parable creates a boundary between those who have the knowledge and oil and those who lack the knowledge which communicates that those who have more, according to societal standards, are the ones who achieve salvation. Therefore, those who are excluded by society are not capable of receiving God’s …show more content…
Those who are “good wives” are those who live up the societal standards of who has virtue. Even though there was a clear distinction between the two sets of women, both groups fell asleep in the parable. At the end of the parable, Jesus encourages the naive women to “keep awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour (29).” This, like in the previous parable, encourages the audience to analyze their relationship with God because it is he who will have the final judgment. This parable speaks to the audience and communicates that Jesus does know them and will receive them because there is still time to put an end to the violence (37). The present situation of the audience is a time of “longing, of standing fast in resistance and of testing (35).” Therefore, an eschatological reading speaks to the fact that God’s kingdom is both in the present and the future and that the reader needs to evaluate the nearness of the coming reign of the Lord. This parable speaks to the fact that God’s kingdom is near, but is not fully realized because oppression still persists so the audience needs to work to change this reality in order to prepare for the Kingdom of God. An eschatological reading of this parable speaks to the injustices that people faced during this time and presents the idea that time, in relation to God’s kingdom, cannot be analyzed in a linear way
According to David M. Carr, the history of Scriptural interpretation indicates that religious texts are popular candidates for reinterpretation and, as such, are spaces wherein the personal identity of the reader frequently inscribes itself at length:
In her book Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them, Liz Curtis Higgs delivers fictionalized, modern stories based on the lives of biblical women. She writes her book in a self-help format so that her readers can relate and compare their lives to the lives of several different biblical women. Higgs hopes that by pointing out flaws and corruption of women in the Bible, it will show modern woman that no one, not even biblical women lead perfect lives. She hopes that by pointing this out, woman will take their lives into personal consideration and strive for a well rounded existence.
Looking back through many historical time periods, people are able to observe the fact that women were generally discriminated against and oppressed in almost any society. However, these periods also came with women that defied the stereotype of their sex. They spoke out against this discrimination with a great amount of intelligence and strength with almost no fear of the harsh consequences that could be laid out by the men of their time. During the Medieval era, religion played a major role in the shaping of this pessimistic viewpoint about women. The common belief of the patriarchal-based society was that women were direct descendants of Eve from The Bible; therefore, they were responsible for the fall of mankind. All of Eve’s characteristics from the biblical story were believed to be the same traits of medieval women. Of course, this did not come without argument. Two medieval women worked to defy the female stereotype, the first being the fictional character called The Wife of Bath from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The second woman, named Margery Kempe, was a real human being with the first English autobiography written about her called The Book of Margery Kempe. In these two texts, The Wife of Bath and Margery Kempe choose to act uniquely compared to other Christians in the medieval time period because of the way religion is interpreted by them. As a result, the women view themselves as having power and qualities that normal women of their society did not.
Regularly characterized as monsters, women were ridiculed for being sexually unappeasable, lustful, and shrewish, and they were regarded with condescension by the church authorities. Similarly, people in the medieval era regarded multiple marriages as highly questionable, and it is for this reason that the Wife of Bath carefully examines the words of God as revealed in scripture (revealing her to be more than a simple-minded woman: a knowledge of religious texts proves she is definitely educated and well-read). She confesses that nowhere can she find a stricture against her having more than one marriage, and her five husbands are therefore her choice and hers only. “He seith to be wedded is no synne:/ Bet is to be wedded than to brynne”, she remarks humorously, drawing on the fact that by God’s permission, finding a partner through marriage is a pastime with little consequences, for it is better than engaging in sin and burning for it (50-53. 301). This begins her analysis of the bible and the often “sinful” breakdown of a sexual relationship between man and woman, and introduces her repetitive idea of the
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
Arragel, Moses, A. Paz Y Meliá, Julián Paz, and Alba, Jacobo Stuart Fitz-James Y Falcó. Bible (Old Testament). Madrid: Priv. Print. for Presentation to the Members of the Roxburghe Club, 1918. Print.
The authors acknowledge that many books have been written on this topic. Their goal is to be unique by focusing on different types of literature (genres) so their readers will understand how to properly interpret them in the context they were written. This review will examine the principles the authors use to interpret the Bible. The review will summarize the book, followed by a critique, and a conclusion.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
The Story of Christianity is a book written by Justo Gonzalez; a native of Cuba. Gonzalez serves on the faculty of the Interdenominational Theological Center which is located in Atlanta Georgia. He attended Yale University, where he received his M.A. and Ph.D. in historical theology; in fact Dr. Gonzalez is the youngest person at Yale to be awarded a Ph.D. He is also one of the first generation Latino theologians and instead of growing up Catholic, comes from a protestant background. In addition to writing many other books, Gonzalez is also Cokesbury’s publishing chief narrator of the Christian Believer study video lessons course and the recipient of the Ecumenism Award from the Theological Consortium in Washington, which he received as a result of his ecumenical work of bringing together churches of different denominations
... a merely a reflection of Hebrew society of the time (Stanton). Jesus Christ, being a reformer, should have improved the status of women with his message of love and acceptance. However, there is no denying that the stigma is carried with women into the present day. Women’s position in society can be greatly attributed to their depiction in religious text. Holy word is still a factor in making women more susceptible, more culpable, and more sinful an impure than men. Even as women move up in the social order, religion is timeless and ever bearing on the struggle women fight for sexual equality.
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
However, a divorced woman is automatically viewed as less desirable for suitors if she chooses to marry again. The unfairness of this advantage in the marriage market is presented throughout the poem. Women are viewed as objects that are meant to only serve their husbands commands. The Wife of Bath takes charge in reverses the stereotypical roles by taking charge in her first two marriages and her overall views on sex. Her carefree attitude strikes down the connation’s that women should only be limited to having sex for procreation and for her own personal pleasure. She explains how God wanted Adam and Eve to multiply and that is only possible by having sex. The Wife of Bath elaborates, “But wel I woot expres, withoute lye, God bad us for to wexe and multiplye: That gentil text can I wel understonde. “ (27-29). She uses the bible as a template to justify her actions of having sex for pleasure and procreation. As the church uses the bible to socially repress women from their sexuality. In addition, the wife of bath describes the difference in viewpoints for husbands and wives on their positions in a marriage. A woman in this time period looks at marriage as a profession where she obliges to her husband’s every command. A man looks at marriage more for pleasure and enjoyment. The wife explains the power
Since the very beginning of time, women had been put into a specific position where they could not simply escape. Especially religious attempts to “categorize” or match them into a certain classification has a long tradition. Elaine T. Lawless explains in her work that the biblical story
Answering these questions is the purpose of this essay. I begin by arguing that the Bible cannot be adequately understood independent of its historical context. I concede later that historical context alone however is insufficient, for the Bible is a living-breathing document as relevant to us today as it was the day it was scribed. I conclude we need both testimonies of God at work to fully appreciate how the Bible speaks to us.