Flesh Made Word: The Protestant Interpretation Problem and an Embodied Hermeneutic

This book explores the individualist "interpretation problem" in Protestant biblical interpretation and proposes a "Christomorphic" interpretation process that incorporates human bodies into the revelation's norms, allowing for graced transformation. It suggests distinctive commitments from communities who desire to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in interpretive acts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 236 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

This book delves into the intricate "interpretation problem" that has plagued Protestant biblical interpretation for centuries, and seeks to transcend it through theological resources. Lauren Smelser White contends that readers of Scripture, particularly those who aspire to surrender their lives to God's transformative Word, which they believe is revealed in the Bible, should acknowledge the participatory role that human bodies (corporeal and corporate) play in shaping the norms of revelation. It is important to note that this reckoning does not necessitate abandoning Scripture's ability to deliver the life-changing message of a divine Other. To support her argument, White presents a captivating portrayal of revelation as a divine-human discursive encounter, where our hermeneutic interpretations become integral to the Word's self-disclosure. By embracing this vulnerable venture, interpreters can experience a graced transformation. The book concludes by proposing that this "Christomorphic" interpretation process resembles a mother's embodied responsiveness in caring for her child. This hermeneutic paradigm suggests unique commitments from communities that seek to collaborate with the Holy Spirit in interpretive acts.

Weight: 517g
Dimension: 236 x 158 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978711044