The Return of Oral Hermeneutics
As Good Today as It Was for the Hebrew Bible and First-Century Christianity
Have Western exegetes turned an Eastern book into a Western one? Has our fondness for a fixed printed text capable of being analyzed with precision and exactitude blinded us to other hermeneutic possibilities? Does God require all people to be able to analyze grammar to interpret Scripture? Does God assume all people can interpret Scripture through oral means? The authors recognize the effects of centuries of literacy socialization that produced a blind spot in the Western Christian world—the neglect by most in the academies, agencies, and assemblies of the foundational and forceful role orality had on the biblical text and teaching. From the inspired spoken word of the prophets, including Jesus (pre-text), to the elite literate scribes who painstakingly hand-printed the sacred text, to post-text interpretation and teaching, the footprint of orality throughout the entire process is acutely visible to those having the oral-aural influenced eyes of the Mediterranean ancients.Could oral hermeneutics be the “mother of relational theology”?
WILLIAM BJORAKER, PhD, is associate professor of Judeo-Christian studies and contemporary Western culture, William Carey International University. He is an Assemblies of God minister.
TOM STEFFEN, DMiss, is professor emeritus of intercultural studies at the Cook School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University. A related publication is World-view-based Storying.
REVIEWS
“You owe it to yourself and to God to read this groundbreaking, hermeneutics-altering work.”
—D. BRENT SANDY, Wheaton College, co-author of The Lost World of Scripture
I have wanted a book like this to exist for a long time! This book deserves a slow, careful read.”
—JACKSON WU, author of Reading Romans through Eastern Eyes
“A must read for anyone who is serious about Bible and engagement in this century.”
—SAMUEL E. CHIANG, President and CEO, The Wycliffe Seed Company
“Carefully researched and passionately argued.”
—DEAN FLEMMING, author of Contextualization in the New Testament
“May well lead to a counterrevolution in the way we read, witness, write, and share God’s story!”
—JOHN CHEONG, Asian Centre for Mission
“An important book that used properly can revitalize the use of the Bible.”
—DANIEL JUSTER, founder of Tikkun International
“Steffen and Bjoraker reestablish the place and power of experiencing the Word in community.”
—REGINA MANLEY, author of StoryFire
“A long overdue contribution for training pastors and teachers.”
—CHUCK MADINGER, International Orality Network, Manila