Imprecation as Divine Discourse
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Imprecation as Divine Discourse by Kit Barker
Christian readers of the Hebrew Bible are often faced with a troubling tension. On the one hand, they are convinced that this ancient text is relevant today, yet on the other, they remain perplexed at how this can be so, particularly when parts of it appear to condone violence. Barker’s volume seeks to address this tension in two parts: (1) by defending a particular form of theological interpretation and (2) by applying this interpretive method to the imprecatory psalms. Barker suggests that the goal of theological interpretation is to discover God’s voice in the text. While he recognizes that this goal could encourage a subjective methodology, Barker offers a hermeneutic that clearly locates God’s voice in the text of Scripture. Utilizing the resources of speech act theory, Barker notes that texts convey meaning at a number of literary levels and that God’s appropriation of speech acts at these levels is not necessarily uniform for each genre. He also discusses how the Christian canon alters the context of these ancient speech acts, both reshaping and enabling their continued function as divine discourse. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of this hermeneutic, Barker offers theological interpretations of Psalms 69 and 137. He demonstrates how christological fulfilment and the call to forgive one’s enemies are determinative for a theological interpretation of these troubling psalms, concluding that they continue to form an essential part of God’s voice that must not be ignored.
Kit Barker - Associate Professor, Associate Dean (Research), TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland.
Peter Cane - Professor, Director of Research, ANU College of Law, The Australian National University.
Mark Lunney - Professor, College of Law, Australian National University.
Francis Trindade - Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University.
Peter Cane - Professor, Director of Research, ANU College of Law, The Australian National University.
Mark Lunney - Professor, College of Law, Australian National University.
Francis Trindade - Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781575064444 |
| ISBN 10 | 1575064448 |
| Title | Imprecation as Divine Discourse |
| Author | Kit Barker |
| Series | Journal Of Theological Interpretation Supplements |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pennsylvania State University Press |
| Year published | 2016-11-04 |
| Number of pages | 260 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |