The Bible and Epistemology
Overview
Many theologians and Christian philosophers have given considerable attention to the theory of knowledge in recent years. However, the rich resources of the biblical literature on questions of knowledge, especially the knowledge of God, have hardly begun to be mined because biblical scholars have rarely posed such questions to the texts.
In this volume, Catholic and Protestant biblical scholars reflect on what different parts of the Bible may have to contribute to our understanding of knowledge in general, and the knowledge of God in particular. Chapters on Deuteronomy, the Psalms, the Prophets, Wisdom literature, Luke-Acts, Johannine literature, and Paul’s letters reveal something of the Bible’s diverse and nuanced approach to the issues. The book ends with some reflections on the material from a theologian and from a Christian philosopher.
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- Analysis of the sophisticated epistemological strategy of Deuteronomy
- Explores epistemological issues and themes
- Includes reflections from a theologian and a Christian philosopher
Top Highlights
“First, knowledge of God comes through attentiveness to what is given; it is not of our own making. Second, it is given in relationship; it depends upon our response to the One who says, ‘Come to me.’ And third, both attentiveness to God and relationship with him are the constituents of new life, indeed, of the only true life there is.” (Page 162)
“The Bible has much to say that needs to be fed into Christian discussions of faith, reason, belief, trust, knowledge and the like. Its contributions to epistemology are in part explicit and in part implicit, but either way, the Bible provides fundamental insights that Christian thinkers need to accommodate. Any Christian account of knowledge that runs against those biblical rocks will eventually find itself shipwrecked. If scriptural teachings are ignored by an account of knowledge then it is not true to the faith and (false epistemic modesty notwithstanding) not true to reality.” (Page xiii)
“What is exciting is the prominent role played in biblical epistemologies by matters that are atypical of many philosophical discussions—for instance, revelation, the Holy Spirit, personal relationship, obedience to God, a life of worship and prayer, community, tradition and engagement with the Scriptures.” (Page xii)
“The ‘knowledge’ she now possesses is the sort that is acquired only when one’s heart has been transformed by a personal experience of the prophetic word.” (Page 27)
“Obeying the torah means loving Yahweh and thereby actualizing those experiences perpetually in Israel.28” (Page 10)
- Cornelis Bennema
- Mary Healy
- Francis Martin
- Ryan P. O’Dowd
- Robin Parry
- Murray Rae
- Thomas D. Stegman
- D. C. Schindler
- Gregory Vall
- Title: The Bible and Epistemology
- Editors: Mary Healy and Robin Parry
- Publisher: Paternoster Press
- Publication Date: 2007
- Pages: 224
Mary Healy is an adjunct professor of Scripture at Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology, and serves as a leader of Mother of God Community, a lay Catholic community in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She is the author of Men and Women Are from Eden: A Study Guide to Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and co-editor of Behind the Text: History and Biblical Interpretation and Out of Egypt: Biblical Theology and Biblical Interpretation.
Robin Parry is the editorial director for Paternoster. He is author of Old Testament Story and Christian Ethics and Worshipping Trinity, as well as several academic articles. He co-edited The Futures of Evangelicalism, Universal Salvation?, Out of Egypt, and Canon and Biblical Interpretation.