ABSTRACT

Scripture has always been central to the life of the Church; it is one of the defining features of Christian faith. As Frances Young says, ‘The Bible is the one thing held in common among all those who claim the name Christian.’1 This set of holy writings is continuously listened to, read, studied, debated, and commented on, even as it is also treasured, celebrated, processed, and prayed in regular weekly worship. Scripture is the lifeblood or ‘soul’ of Christian faith.2 It should therefore come as no surprise that the practice of theology accords Scripture a central place, commensurate with its centrality to the life of faith. Part of the work that will be taken up in the chapters that follow is (1) to trace

some key historical, philosophical, and cultural developments that have shaped contemporary approaches to and understandings of Scripture; (2) to point out how the authoritative status of Scripture crucially shapes the practice of theology; (3) to explore the ways in which Scripture tends to challenge, ‘unsettle’, and critique established frameworks and patterns of human relating; and (4) to examine the distinction between literal and figurative readings of Scripture and explore several ramifications it has for one of the fundamental rules of reading Scripture; namely, the instruction to follow ‘the way the words go’. Before we can turn to these questions, however, this introductory chapter

explores three important preliminary matters: (1) the relation of Jewish and Christian scriptures, (2) the centrality of hearing in Christian engagement with Scripture, and (3) the relationship of Scripture to time.