Download or read book Revelation written by and published by Canongate Books. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

Download or read book The Bible as Revelatory Word written by Robert Ignatius Letellier and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2016-08-17 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether one approaches the Bible from a perspective of faith, culture or literature, the power of the writing, the human situations, language and genres that make up the Scriptures speak potently across the ages. From whatever angle, the texts have a revelatory power that shines a light on the human condition, our sense of purpose, place in the world, and even our destiny. Born out of the common reflection on the history of single nation with a sense of divine election, the Bible has spoken, and continues to speak to all people in various circumstances, in words of such power that seem divinely inspired. This second volume looks at a more narrative view of the history of Ancient Israel, in stories written in the late Old Testament to reflect on the tribulations of the people in captivity, either after the Assyrian Deportation of 722 BC, the Babylonian Captivity (597 BC), during Persian rule (538-323 BC), or under the grave existential threat posed by the Greek Seleucid Syrians (167–163 BC). God’s ways are sought amidst defeat and confusion, amidst fear and hope: his power to save out of suffering implored. The stories of Daniel, Jonah, Ruth, Esther, Tobit, Judith and the Maccabees remain parables of faith in God's providence, his redemptive love. This study encourages reading the texts themselves, developing a sharper perception of language, imagery, genre and style. The book, thus, provides an overall picture of the literary types employed, locates the sacred books in a chronological and thematic context, exploring the texts through the specific passages provided, always looking to find the theological keys critical to understanding these particular books and their enduring message across the ages. A particularly interesting aspect of this study is its collection of iconography, offering a cross-section of artistic responses to the power of the biblical discourse through the centuries. While Gustave Doré's famous etchings form the axis of the centrefolds, many other painters are included from different periods.

Download or read book The Bible as a Human Witness to Divine Revelation written by Randall Heskett and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-11-04 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A festschrift for Gerald Sheppard, which examines the historical problems presented throughout the biblical testimony. >

Download or read book The Bible as Revelatory Word written by Robert Ignatius Letellier and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2016-08-17 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether one approaches the Bible from a perspective of faith, culture or literature, the power of the writing, the human situations, language and genres that make up the Scriptures speak potently across the ages. From whatever angle, the texts have a revelatory power that shines a light on the human condition, our sense of purpose, place in the world, and even our destiny. Born out of the common reflection on the history of single nation with a sense of divine election, the Bible has spoken, and continues to speak to all people in various circumstances, in words of such power that seem divinely inspired. This volume provides an opportunity for studying those special areas of Scripture known as the Prophets and the Wisdom Books. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel spoke to Ancient Israel from the situation of their national story shaped by the Covenant with God, especially before, during and after the sorrow of their Exile in Babylon (587–38 BC). The Wisdom Books of the Bible reflect on the ontology of the human condition under any circumstance: how to live wisely and sensibly by looking at the world of nature and the human heart to discern the purpose of life. The approach adopted here, building on a fundamental understanding of the Old Testament, searches for deeper understanding of both approaches and genres. This study enables a thematic overview of the subject, a way into some of the critical issues endemic to grasping both traditions, and by implication, some of the fundamental approaches used in biblical scholarship. This study encourages reading the texts themselves, developing a sharper perception of language, imagery, genre and style. The book, thus, provides an overall picture of the literary types employed, locates the sacred books in a chronological and thematic context, exploring the texts through the specific passages provided, always looking to find the theological keyscritical to understanding these particular books and their enduring message across the ages. A particularly interesting aspect of this study is its collection of iconography, offering a cross-section of artistic responses to the power of the biblical discourse through the centuries. While Gustave Doré's famous etchings form the axis of the centrefolds, many other painters are included from different periods.

Download or read book Holy Bible NIV written by Various Authors, and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 6637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

Download or read book Revelation written by Kenneth B. Alexander and published by eBookIt.com. This book was released on 2012-12-12 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: REVELATION: THE BOOK of REVELATION: BEASTS, SERPENT, SEALS, BOWLS, VIALS and FALSE PROPHETS EPILOG to the BOOK of REVELATION DIVINE REVELATION: GOD SPEAKING to MAN OF PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE BE IT DONE ACCORDING to YOUR FAITH THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD CAN YOU FALL from GRACE? KINGDOM OF GOD or KINGDOM of HEAVEN LIFE AFTER DEATH INTRODUCTION to: FORGOTTEN BOOKS NOT IN the Bible STUDY of LEVITICUS 14: An Introduction to Old Testament Law REAL CHRISTIANITY IS SPIRITUAL: To Spiritualists and New Age Proponents GNOTICISM VS. CHRISTIANITY EXPLAINING the BOOK of LAMENTATIONS WHY READ the BIBLE?: IT IS GOD'S WORD RECORDED IN the DAYS of the KINGDOM THE MARK of the BEAST THE TRUE MEANING of CHURCH WHY SO MANY DENOMINATIONS? UNIVERSAL LAW: How God Thinks About the Law of the Earth The title of this book is Revelation. Revelation is variously defined as: "an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing (Easton's Dictionary). Although this book does contain an attempted interpretation of the Book of Revelation, anything God does or speaks is in and of itself revelation in that it is bringing to light something hidden. The Bible is unlike any other book written by man. The bible, although written by man, is the inspired writing of that man moved by the Spirit of God and so becomes not the word of man but the Word of God. Books written by men convey emotions, ideas, entertainment, concepts and other mental images. God's word brings revelation to the Spirit of man. Jesus said: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life" (John 6:33). The words are food for man's spirit, just as natural food nourishes the body. Revelation is highly valued in the Kingdom of God. "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:13-19). The Lord was overjoyed in that man had not talked Peter into anything regarding the Lord's identity but Peter had received revelation directly from the Father. This book, along with others I have written, attempt to convey the truth of the Lord through revelation obtained from Him. The following are some odds and ends I have gathered together helping you will gain a better understanding of Him from His words. Everything said here is confirmed by scriptures from God's word. I hope it opens an even clearer picture as to He is and His purpose in the earth. Heavens

Download or read book Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation written by Pope Paul VI. and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document's purpose is to spell out the Church's understanding of the nature of revelation--the process whereby God communicates with human beings. It touches upon questions about Scripture, tradition, and the teaching authority of the Church. The major concern of the document is to proclaim a Catholic understanding of the Bible as the "word of God." Key elements include: Trinitarian structure, roles of apostles and bishops, and biblical reading in a historical context.

Download or read book Thinking on Scripture A Collection of Theological Essays Volume 2 written by Steven R. Cook and published by Steven R. Cook. This book was released on 2020-12-19 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this second volume, Dr. Cook provides a series of articles that are part of his morning meditations on Scripture. Meditation, in the biblical sense, is an intentional filling of the mind with divine viewpoint; specifically, God’s Word. The purpose is to saturate our thinking with Scripture so that it will permeate all aspects of our reasoning and guide us into God’s will. These articles touch on subjects such as soteriology, grace, worship, righteous living, and character studies of people such as Saul and David. The overall intent of the book is to inform and inspire believers to live righteously before God.

Download or read book Revelations written by Elaine Pagels and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A startling exploration of the history of the most controversial book of the Bible, by the bestselling author of Beyond Belief. Through the bestselling books of Elaine Pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one of the world's foremost religion scholars, she has been a pioneer in interpreting these books and illuminating their place in the early history of Christianity. Her new book, however, tackles a text that is firmly, dramatically within the New Testament canon: The Book of Revelation, the surreal apocalyptic vision of the end of the world . . . or is it? In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as "the Jewish War," in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome's occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels persuasively interprets Revelation as a scathing attack on the decadence of Rome. Soon after, however, a new sect known as "Christians" seized on John's text as a weapon against heresy and infidels of all kinds-Jews, even Christians who dissented from their increasingly rigid doctrines and hierarchies. In a time when global religious violence surges, Revelations explores how often those in power throughout history have sought to force "God's enemies" to submit or be killed. It is sure to appeal to Pagels's committed readers and bring her a whole new audience who want to understand the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions, and to appreciate the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.

Download or read book Revelation written by Kevin Perrotta and published by Loyola Press. This book was released on 2010-06 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biblical prophecy can be very difficult to understand; as a result, many people simply skip over the books dealing with biblical prophecy. Revelation: God's Gift of Hope provides a helpful Catholic interpretation of perhaps the most mysterious book in the Scriptures. Through this study, participants will see the book of Revelation with new eyes and will grasp hold of its intended, hope-filled message. A Guided Discovery of the Bible The Bible invites us to explore God s word and reflect on how we might respond to it. To do this, we need guidance and the right tools for discovery. The Six Weeks with the Bible series of Bible discussion guides offers both in a concise six-week format. Whether focusing on a specific biblical book or exploring a theme that runs throughout the Bible, these practical guides in this series provide meaningful insights that explain Scripture while helping readers make connections to their own lives. Each guide is faithful to Church teaching and is guided by sound biblical scholarship presents the insights of Church fathers and saints includes questions for discussion and reflection delivers information in a reader-friendly format gives suggestions for prayer that help readers respond to God s word appeals to beginners as well as to advanced students of the Bible By reading Scripture, reflecting on its deeper meanings, and incorporating it into our daily life, we can grow not only in our understanding of God s word, but also in our relationship with God."

Download or read book The Prophecy of Isaiah written by J. Alec Motyer and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2015-11-11 with total page 549 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recipient of a Christianity Today 1994 Critics Choice Award Among Old Testament prophetic books no other equals Isaiah's brilliance of style and metaphor, its arresting vision of the Holy One of Israel and its kaleidoscopic vision of God's future restoration of Israel and the world. Now, after over three decades of studying and teaching Isaiah, Alec Motyer presents a wealth of commentary and perspective on this book. His emphasis is on the grammatical, historical, structural, literary and theological dimensions of the text. Though based on the Hebrew text, his exposition easily accomodates readers without a working knowledge of biblical Hebrew. And he writes with an interest in Isaiah's meaning for Christians today. Along the historical timeline on which the Isaianic prophecies are strung, Motyer finds three central and recurring themes: the messianic hope, the motif of the city and the theology of the Holy One of Israel. Moreover, he argues, the Isaianic literature is organized around three messianic portraits: the King (Isaiah 1-37), the Servant (Isaiah 38-55) and the Anointed Conqueror (Isaiah 56-66). Preachers, teachers and serious Bible students of all types will find this commentary a wise, winsome and welcome guide to the prophecy of Isaiah. It may easily be the best one-volume evangelical commentary on Isaiah available today.

Download or read book Biblical Revelation and Inspiration written by Harold Stauffer Bender and published by Herald Press (VA). This book was released on 1959 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Revelation written by J.E. Gulbrandsen and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2019-05-15 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revelation is possibly the most controversial book in the bible. Some famous theologians have even suggested to remove it from the bible cannon because it is so hard to understand. I will argue it is not that difficult to make sense of as long as we manage to place it on “Gods timeline” in history and understand “Gods relation and reaction” to an unrepentant Israel. If we allow the bible text to be our theology in stead of trying to fit the bible into our theology, it all comes together nicely. It is Jesus speaking in Revelation. It is not a book to be ignored but to be studied diligently. It helps us understand where we are in history on “Gods timeline”. The book in front of you is a commentary to the essential message, chapter and verses in the biblical book Revelation. You can not fully understand who Jesus is until you understand Revelation. Suddenly the overall message of the bible comes together. Exciting. This book is for bible readers that would like to be challenged and to understand “the bigger picture” of what God is trying to teach us through his word. If you on the other hand have a theology cemented in cherry-picked bible verses and religious denominational tradition, this book most likely is not for you.

Download or read book The Holy Spirit in You written by Derek Prince and published by Whitaker House. This book was released on 2011-08-09 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Derek Prince clearly explains the nature and ways of the Holy Spirit and how He works in the lives of Christians. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the believer can experience the continual presence of Jesus, become a bold witness for Christ, acquire revelation of the Word of God, pray according to God's will, and understand the plans of God. As you understand and receive the active presence of the Spirit in your life, you will gain new power and grace for living.

Download or read book Revelation of God s Word written by Paul D Rusnak and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a collection of studies from over fifty years of studying. It contains new revelation of scripture. It addresses subjects like New Revelation about the Beast of Time, Paul’s thorn in the flesh, the Tree of Life, why Jesus doesn’t know when the last day will be, and much more.

Download or read book W E Vine s New Testament Word Pictures Romans to Revelation written by W. E. Vine and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 1265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Study the meaning of biblical words in the original languages without spending years learning Greek. W. E. Vine’s New Testament Word Pictures places every key word from Vine’s classic Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words in Bible book and verse-by-verse order. The text of the King James Version of the Bible is included for context, but W. E. Vine’s New Testament Word Pictures is keyed to the Strong’s numbering system and can be used with any Bible translation. A great tool for students, pastors, teachers, and anyone who enjoys biblical word studies, this unique resource explains the meaning behind the key words and contains elements of a dictionary, concordance, and commentary. Edited by Martin Manser, W. E. Vine’s New Testament Word Pictures is available in two companion volumes:Matthew to Acts and Romans to Revelation. Features include: Every key word from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words explained Verse-by-verse order for ease of use King James Version text with keys to Strong’s numbers W.E. Vine's original comments on alternative readings from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible Inspirational quotes to add a fresh edge to teaching

Download or read book A Theology of Literature written by William Franke and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-07-14 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the tools of far-reaching revolutions in literary theory and informed by the poetic sense of truth, William Franke offers a critical appreciation and philosophical reflection on a way of reading the Bible as theological revelation. Franke explores some of the principal literary genres of the Bible—Myth, Epic History, Prophecy, Apocalyptic, Writings, and Gospel—as building upon one another in composing a compactly unified edifice of writing that discloses prophetic and apocalyptic truth in a sense that is intelligible to the secular mind as well as to religious spirits. From Genesis to Gospel this revealed truth of the Bible is discovered as a universal heritage of humankind. Poetic literature becomes the light of revelation for a theology that is discerned as already inherent in humanity’s tradition. The divine speaks directly to the human heart by means of infinitely open poetic powers of expression in words exceeding and released from the control of finite, human faculties and the authority of human institutions. CHRIS BENDA: The main title of your book, A Theology of Literature, is rather expansive in scope - it's the title of a manifesto - while the subtitle, The Bible as Revelation in the Tradition of the Humanities, narrows the focus to a particular text. This title seems to adumbrate your conception of the relationship between literature and the Bible. What is that relationship? WILLIAM FRANKE: Picking up on your suggestions, I would say that the book is a manifesto for literature as a revelation of the highest sort of truth of which the human heart and intellect are capable, and at the same time a manifesto for theology as the source and core of traditions of human knowledge. The Bible is taken as an outstanding example of both types of discourse, literature and theology, in some of their most marvelous and miraculous revelatory capacities. CB: In the introduction to your book, you ask, "What is a theological reading of the Bible, and what is a literary reading?" This question suggests different methods, different purposes, different outcomes. But you put forward another way of thinking about the relationship between the theological and the literary. What is that way? WF: The usual idea of the "Bible as literature" is that one can read the Bible just as good literature without presupposing any kind of religious belief. This makes it palatable to many who would otherwise not be interested. My approach, likewise, is to read the Bible for all that it is worth as literature, but I find precisely there the Bible's most challenging and authentic theology. Understanding literature in its furthest purport requires a kind of belief in language and the word. It entails a hopeful, loving, and faithful sort of understanding of what is said, and that already constitutes the rudiments of a theology. This is to take the Bible as an especially revealing example of a humanities text. The greatest of these texts generally contain an at least implicitly theological (or sometimes a/theological) dimension to the extent that they envision the final purpose of life and the meaning of the world as a whole. Whether or not they speak of "God," such texts are in a theological register wherever the unity and origin of existence are in question. Personalizing this origin as "God" is one interpretation that remains inevitable and imaginatively compelling for us, since we are persons. CB: You are not reading the Bible as literature in the same way that many others have been doing over the last several decades (even though Robert Alter, one of the foremost practitioners of that art, appears frequently in the pages of your book). Which aspects of the "Bible as literature" approach are, in your view, problematic, at least for your project, and which do you find of continuing value? WF: The tendency to reduce the Bible to mere literature is the approach that I wish to eschew. I emphasize that the Bible is truly revelatory as literature. This enables us to understand theological revelation, too, in a non-dogmatic sense, as having a much more general human validity. Appreciating the literary qualities and excellence of the Bible remains as crucial to my project as to the traditional approach. However, I stress that these literary features are not merely aesthetic effects or ornaments. They can be revelatory of the real. The ultimately real and true, which exceeds objectification and its inevitable oppositions, cannot be apprehended except through the imagination. CB: When you speak of the Bible as revelation, what do you mean? WF: I mean especially that it enables uncanny insight into the nature of reality as a whole and in its deepest core. Revelation conveys an infinite intelligence of life and of everything that concerns us as humans. I recognize knowledge as "revealed" to the extent that it rises beyond ordinary limits to a degree of knowing that somehow fathoms the whole or total or infinite. This means for many that revelation comes from God. But even before presupposing that we know anything about God, we can simply let revelation emerge from this extraordinary capacity of the mind to transcend itself toward what it cannot comprehend. In certain encounters with others, we can experience an infinite depth of love and life that boggles the mind and exceeds comprehension. It can transform our lives. Theological revelation is a compelling interpretation, handed down over generations in the human community, of this register of experience. CB: You seem to make a distinction between revelation and theological revelation. What is that distinction, and what import does it have for your argument? WF: No, I would rather emphasize the continuity between theological revelation and revelation in a more general, phenomenological sense of things simply coming to be known or openly "disclosed." This is important for keeping theology connected with the rest of human knowledge, although human knowledge itself, all along, has also harbored something that transcends it and all its finite means. I say "all along" because this problematic of the self-transcendence of knowledge towards an extra-worldly Other can be traced to the Axial Age in the middle of the first millennium BCE. Of course, a relationship with the Other who reveals himself or herself or itself as God belongs to the full sense of theological revelation as understood in biblical tradition. I consider this as a degree of revelation of our relationship with others envisaged in its absoluteness. CB: What do you mean when you talk about the "poetic potential" of language? Does all language have such potential, even what we might not typically think of as poetic - or even literary? WF: Language has infinite potential for meaning, and poetic language shows and exploits this potential most intensively. Language can be thought of as beginning with one word like "OM" that means everything all at once. By a process of disambiguation, more limited and specific meanings are differentiated from each other and assigned to different words. However, poetic language reverses this process and allows us to hear the multiple meanings buried in our metaphors and to divine the original unity of meaning in language behind the rationally differentiated senses of words in the language that we pragmatically employ, yet with loss of its potential wholeness of meaning. CB: Your book is concerned with the Bible as a humanities text. What is a humanities text and what does a humanities text do? Might we think of any text as having the potential to be a humanities text, as long as it is read "humanistically"? WF: Yes. Being a humanities text is a matter of how a text is read. But certain texts lend themselves more than others to touching on matters of deep and perennial human concern: life and death and love and war, greed and heroism, suffering and hope for liberation, redemption, etc. CB: You state that, prior to modernity, texts, including the Bible, "exercise[d] sovereign authority in determining [their] own meaning and in interrogating the reader and potentially challenging the reader's insight and very integrity." In secular modernity, by contrast, "texts taken as specimens for analysis are dissected according to the will and criteria of a knowing subject considered to be wholly external to them." What implications have modern, secular readings of the Bible, and of literature more generally, had for human knowledge and, indeed, for human existence; and how does our present time - what you call "the 'post-secular' turn of postmodern culture" - change how we relate to the Bible and literature? WF: The modern, secular era is the era of the individual knowing subject. The self-conscious human subject becomes the ground and foundation of all knowing, emblematically with Descartes's "I think therefore I am" as the inaugural proposition of modern philosophy. Hegel construed the history of philosophy this way. Texts become artifacts created by finite human subjects. Prior to this modern era and its constitutive Narcissism, the creation of the text was a much more open affair. It was not under the control of a unitary finite subject, the author. Human authors could be channels for revelations from beyond their own ken. Readers could explore texts for revelations from a higher authority than just the author's own intention. Augustine's reading the Bible as meaning infinitely more than its presumable human authors, starting with Moses, were able to comprehend is a good example (Confessions, Book X-XIII). CB: You quote John 1:14 ("The Word became flesh and dwelt among us") and claim that this statement "announces a general interpretive principle: the meaning of tradition is experienced only in its application to life in the present." Could you unpack that a bit? WF: Meaning in literature and life is much more than just an intellectual sense or dictionary definition. How words mean for us is rooted in our way of existing in the world. They have to take on our own flesh and dwell in and with us in order to realize their full potential to signify. This fact is conveyed poetically by the doctrine of the Incarnation that is clairvoyantly and beautifully expressed in the Gospel of John. CB: A Theology of Literature largely consists of explorations of the revelatory aspects of varying literary genres in the Bible. You look at mythology, epic, history, prophecy, apocalyptic, literature, poetry, and gospel. In the conclusion of your book, you suggest that "[a]ll of these genres, in some manner, are summed up and recapitulated in the Gospel." This is convenient, since we can't discuss each of these genres in depth. How, in brief, does the Gospel provide such a summation and recapitulation? WF: The gospel is a prophetic word in which the archetypal myth of Genesis and the epic history of Exodus and the words of the prophets are fulfilled by the apocalyptic event of Christ as Savior. It contains the life history of the Redeemer and includes many of his own sayings uttered with all their poetry ("Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin," etc.). It brings all these various forms and genres of revelation to a culmination in a word that exceeds all genres, not least history, in order to recast the mold of meaning and the very meaning of "truth." Its truth is made in being enacted and incorporated by those who believe in it and live it. In the terms of I John 1: 6, these are those who would "do the truth." CB: Your book is able to cover significant portions of the Bible despite its brevity, but of course it can't cover everything. The legal materials are one type of literature that doesn't get extended treatment, so I'm curious how you might understand them as revelatory texts within the tradition of the humanities. WF: The legal materials fundamentally express a relationship with God. They enable Israel to live in fellowship with the Lord and as sanctified by his love. "O Lord how I love thy law!" (Psalm 119: 97) exclaims the psalmist. The legal prescriptions in the Bible reveal God and the way to God in very particular circumstances and social conditions. But the relationship with God that they model is potentially valid in all times and places for those who wish to embrace the law as a gift for living in intimacy with the Almighty. CB: What dangers might accompany the recovery of texts as authoritative sources of truth in our post-secular, postmodern age? How might those dangers, should they exist, be avoided or met? WF: The authority of texts read in the perspective of a theology of literature never exempts the readers from responsibility for the implications and consequences that they draw from the text. The authoritativeness of the infinite potential for meaning that is inherent in these texts is in a dimension of depth that underlies all meanings and all being and all creatures. It does not valorize some over others. These determinations are always made by human beings, and they alone bear the responsibility for their choices and acts. The power and authority of the text resides in its infinite potential before the emergence of any divisive distinctions and oppositions. This type of authority of the text does not absolve humans of responsibility. It rather reveals their infinite responsibility for whatever authority they claim or evoke. They give this authority a determinate shape and particular application that is all their own. They are answerable for whether or not their interpretation respects and protects all creatures and creation. Questions by Chris Benda, Divinity Librarian, Vanderbilt University