The Bible: A Biography
Karen Armstrong
Atlantic Monthly Press
John Vissers, principal of The Presbyterian College, Montreal, writing in the June Record, refers to a former colleague, who concluded that essentially two groups do most of the serious Bible reading: "Those of us who make it say whatever they want, and those of us who make it say nothing at all."
The jacket notes of Karen Armstrong's 2007 book, The Bible, estimated that more than six billion copies of the Bible have been sold over the past 200 years in more than 2,000 languages. Readers are also told that the contents of Armstrong's work trace how this book of 66 books has been created by scores of people over hundreds of years.
The scripture of various faiths is being criticized today. For example, some Christians campaign against the teaching of evolution because it appears to contradict the creation account in Genesis. Some Jews use God's promise of Canaan (modern Israel) to the descendants of Abraham to justify oppression of Palestinians. Some terrorists use the Qur'an to justify atrocities. Armstrong therefore stresses entirely reasonably that it is more important than ever to be clear what scripture is and what it is not.
She notes that an exclusively literal interpretation of the Bible is a recent development. Until the 19th century, for example, very few readers imagined that the first chapter of Genesis was a factual account of the origin of life. For centuries, Christians and Jews alike insisted that a wholly literal reading of the Bible was neither "possible nor desirable."
The New Testament began as an oral proclamation and from the beginning had no single message. Later on, she notes, Bible interpreters "felt free to change it and make it speak to contemporary conditions … the Bible 'proved' that it was holy because people continuously discovered fresh ways to interpret it … exegetes continued to make the Word of God audible in each generation."
Armstrong likes Hans Frei, who says that the Bible has been a subversive document and suspicious of orthodoxy since the time of Amos. Even Calvin insisted that the Bible was not a scientific document and that those who wanted to learn about astronomy or cosmology should look elsewhere. Armstrong writes, "Human beings seek ekstasis, a 'stepping outside' of their normal, mundane experience. If they no longer find ecstasy in a synagogue, church or mosque, they look for it in dance, music, sport, sex or drugs. When people read the Bible receptively and intuitively, they found that it gave them intimations of transcendence."
The final page of the author's Epilogue deserves the last word: "An exegesis based on the 'principle of charity' would be a spiritual discipline that is deeply needed in our torn and fragmented world. The Bible … is being distorted by claims for its literal infallibility; it is derided – often unfairly – by secular fundamentalists; it is also becoming a toxic arsenal that fuels hatred and sterile polemic. The development of a more compassionate hermeneutics could provide an important counter-narrative in our discordant world."
Amen!
