In what one scholar called "a little gem of a book," The Use and Abuse of the Bible: A Brief History of Biblical Interpretation shows how interpreting the Bible against the background of various historical periods sheds light on the long and rich history of the church—and how it is relevant to events happening in the world today. Yet too often, the author posits, Bible students sidestep this information, which impacts how they interpret Scripture.
In The Use and Abuse of the Bible, Catholic Bible Scholar Henry Wansbrough explores why this matters and how it has affected the church throughout history.
Wansbrough demonstrates how the Bible is "performed" differently in different ages and how the various performances and their different emphases in the history of Christianity have significantly impacted how notable figures in church tradition have "used and abused" the Bible. The author also addresses sticky topics like the ever-present danger of fundamentalism and single-minded interpretation of the Bible. In the last chapter, he invites readers into his personal spiritual life with a "worked example" of Lectio Divina,