Reading The Bible As Christian Scripture

About the Book

The Scriptures provide many, if not all, of the understandings that are necessary to interpret them. Their meaning can be determined by looking at the manner in which the writers use language. When we read the texts of other religions we do not use the hermeneutics which we have developed to read the Bible. Why should we consider the Bible as less intelligible? In general, when reading religious texts we look for the manner in which language is used. How is meaning understood in the language of the text? What count as truth? In what sense is the text we are reading supercede or is superceded by other texts in its tradition? What are the prescriptive elements in the book? How is language used to transform or enable the reader? It is the thesis of this book that demythologizing has run its course, and that a new approach which includes, but goes beyond historical criticism and post modernism is available in the way in which language is used in Biblical texts. Culturally and intellectually we live in more than one world-view. Reading the Bible within its own language structures and world-view is the best way to understand it.

About the Author

James H, Ware Jr. was born in Shanghai, China of missionary parents. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Baylor University and his B.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Duke University granted him his Ph.D. At Clemson University, University of Central Arkansas, and Austin College he taught Asian Religions, the Philosophy of Language, Biblical Studies, Hermeneutics, and the History of Philosophy. Through out his academic career he has pastored numerous churches. Dr. Ware’s first two books were study guides to Chinese and Korean Religions published by Yale Divinity School Press. His third work, Not With Word of Wisdom, dealt with performative language and liturgy. In 2001 he published Heart Sing, which consists of 350 morning prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Following retirement from Austin College he has served as Parish Associate at Gulf Breeze Presbyterian Church and has been dealing with biblical hermeneutics and the life of the Church. The Southwest Commission on Religious Studies presented him the John Gammie Distinguished Scholar’s Award in 1994-5. Previously he received a post doctoral award from the Fund for the Study of the World Great Religions and spend six month at the University of Hong Kong and six months at the University of Chicago.