A Critical Review of Jeffrey Walton “The Politics of Biblical Interpretation: A ‘Criticism of Criticism ’” in Newblackfriars vol.91, 1035, September 2010.
Introduction
Responding to the call for “Kritik der Kritik” of Ratzinger, Jeffrey explains the historical relationship between biblical criticism and politics. The study reveals that the first one can be seen in medieval Islamic world, not in Christendom surprisingly, and he introduces subsequent biblical criticisms in secular world, clarifying how they has been influenced by political situations. To the extent that this research is exploratory, results of this study provide insights into the importance of recognizing political influence on the biblical interpretation. However, several limitations must be considered in his arguments
Summary …show more content…
In medieval Islamic world, it was used for defeating the political antagonist with denying the mosaic authorship and with attacking allegorical interpretation of the Pentateuch. This attitude was succeeded by Christendom, where not a few kings and monarchs were struggling to overcome the control of the Papacy, which was transnational. On the other hand, people interpreted the Pentateuch for the purpose of legitimating their dynasties or political powers. In modern German-speaking world, they regarded the Pentateuch as historical artifact in order to establish a new Christianity with dispelling the Jewish and Catholic tradition. This led to the notorious anti-Semitism and anti-Jewism. Subsequently, he adverts briefly to the confliction between local autonomy and transnational church. Then, he concludes that the biblical criticism which has been nourished through these political conflicts should not be dismissed but be
Introduction
Responding to the call for “Kritik der Kritik” of Ratzinger, Jeffrey explains the historical relationship between biblical criticism and politics. The study reveals that the first one can be seen in medieval Islamic world, not in Christendom surprisingly, and he introduces subsequent biblical criticisms in secular world, clarifying how they has been influenced by political situations. To the extent that this research is exploratory, results of this study provide insights into the importance of recognizing political influence on the biblical interpretation. However, several limitations must be considered in his arguments
Summary …show more content…
In medieval Islamic world, it was used for defeating the political antagonist with denying the mosaic authorship and with attacking allegorical interpretation of the Pentateuch. This attitude was succeeded by Christendom, where not a few kings and monarchs were struggling to overcome the control of the Papacy, which was transnational. On the other hand, people interpreted the Pentateuch for the purpose of legitimating their dynasties or political powers. In modern German-speaking world, they regarded the Pentateuch as historical artifact in order to establish a new Christianity with dispelling the Jewish and Catholic tradition. This led to the notorious anti-Semitism and anti-Jewism. Subsequently, he adverts briefly to the confliction between local autonomy and transnational church. Then, he concludes that the biblical criticism which has been nourished through these political conflicts should not be dismissed but be