Modern Midrash: The Biblical Canon and Modern Literature

AJS Review ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gershon Shaked

Canonization of the Bible resulted from a consensus of those to whom it was addressed and a ruling group of religious elites that established its sanctity. They declared that “Torah was given to Moses at Sinai” and valued it above and beyond its literary value. The process of canonization was not a simple one. Several books were included only after struggles among various pressure groups. For example: “At first, Proverbs, Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes were considered non-canonical because they consisted of parables, but later the men of the Great Assembly interpreted them.” (ءAvot dءRabbi Natan, 1). Further: “The sages wished to exclude Ecclesiastes because it contained inconsistencies, but they included it because it begins and ends with teachings of Torah” (Shabbat, 30:b).

Author(s):  
Marcin Majewski ◽  
Artur Sporniak ◽  
Teresa Szostek ◽  
Michał Czajkowski

The article focuses on the analysis of an interview regarding Bible translation and related censorship. The author comments on the statements of one of the interlocutors, adding her own insights and analyses. Bible translators make certain parts of the text more approachable, as was the case with the refrain to Song of Songs, which, in most translations, mentions “embracing” while the protestant Bible contains the correct translation, i.e. “caressing.” Similarly, translators correct the Bible, as they have a different notion of what a sacral text should look like. For example, they introduce neutral phrases instead of offensive words. In Czajkowski’s opinion, translators often censor the Bible, trying to make the text less blunt. However, sometimes discrepancies are a result of not understanding the original text. Not always are these differences a consequence of the translator’s work, though. It is clearly visible e.g. in the case of “pneuma,” a word which can be translated into ghost or soul, spelled with a small letter, or the Holy Ghost. The author does not support the so-called “inclusive” translation. The inspired text should not be changed. Such changes can be replaced with explanations or comments. In order to discover the original meaning of the Holy Scripture, one can compare one of the Polish translations with translations into other foreign languages or other translations into Polish.


Horizons ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Ryan

ABSTRACTWhile unfamiliar to many today, the Song of Songs was once one of the most frequently interpreted books of the Bible. This article seeks to counter the current lack of familiarity by highlighting the significance for the classroom of pre-modern exegesis of the Song. As course content, it provides a starting point from which to examine Christian thought and practice over the last two millennia. In particular, it supplies evidence that Christians (and Jews) have expressed some of their most profound insights into spirituality in terms of the erotic poetry of the Song. This essay concludes with an examination of method. How can pre-modern exegesis contribute to contemporary debates about interpretation, particularly of biblical texts?


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Caroline Redick

The Song of Songs has inspired numerous interpretations throughout history, ranging from mystical visions of God’s union with his people, to practical guidelines for marriage. This article examines the text from the perspective of Pentecostal hermeneutics, following the insights of early Pentecostal preachers and contemporary Charismatic leaders to showcase the Song of Songs as a story about the pathos-filled relationship of God and humanity. Through dialogue with these sources, biblical scholarship, and the philosophical hermeneutic of Ernesto Grassi, this article takes an inter-disciplinary approach to argue that the Song exists as a space within Scripture for prayerful dialogue. It will focus on the way that Scripture facilitates communion with God. Thus, the purpose of this article is not only to explore Spirit-filled interpretation of the Song of Songs, but through these interpretations, to theologize about the nature of the Bible itself.


Author(s):  
Alexandre De Jesus dos Prazeres

O foco deste texto é despertar o interesse pelo estudo da Bíblia, não somente devido ao seu valor como texto de religião, mas principalmente pelo seu valor literário. E, para isto, o artigo demonstrará, de modo breve, algumas características da narrativa bíblica; e por meio do conceito linguístico de intertextualidade, apresentará alguns exemplos da influência das narrativas bíblicas em textos do escritor brasileiro, Machado de Assis.Palavras-chave: Bíblia. Literatura. Interface. Hermenêutica.AbstractThe focus of this text is to awaken interest in the study of the Bible, not only because of its value as text religion, but mainly for their literary value. And for this, the article will demonstrate, briefly, some features of the biblical narrative, and through the linguistic concept of intertextuality. It will show some examples of the influence of the biblical narratives in the texts of the Brazilian writer Machado de Assis.Keywords: Bible. Literature. Interface. Hermeneutics.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Clarke ◽  
Simon Jackson

Legitimized by the poetry of the Bible, devotional lyric verse—crossing denominational lines, often combining Reformation spirituality with Renaissance rhetoric—flourished in early modern England. Poets like Mary and Philip Sidney and George Herbert modelled their work on the Book of Psalms, at times imitating the prosodic simplicity of the Sternhold and Hopkins metrical psalms, elsewhere adapting the sophisticated stanzaic variety of the Marot/Beze Psalter. Women like Aemilia Lanyer and Anne Southwell used the Song of Songs to express their devotion to Christ. The ‘mystical marriage’ was often used by women such as Barbara Mackay, who produced a version of the Song of Songs in manuscript, and Elizabeth Melville, who parodied Petrarchan poetry; and it was employed in shocking fashion by John Donne. The religious lyric exists on the borderline of public and private: in conclusion, we present such lyrics as social and occasional, and examine their relationship with music.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
Irina Lazorevich

In a secularized society, on the base of the rapid development of technologization and globalization, we also observe an intensive "return" of the sacred. It "returns" with the growth of nostalgia for the personalism of social relationships. And this return is reflected, in particular, through the phenomena of contemporary art – some of them are filled with appropriate symbolism and emotional atmosphere. Undoubtedly, there is no historical period, which would be characterized by complete secularization and the absence of any sacredness. However, in the modern era, the uniqueness of the sacred is that it is not just a religious phenomenon. Because today's semantic space of the sacred is not only the idea of God, it is also about justice, identity, self-sacrifice and the search for answers. This is one of the main categories of value orientations, which relates to anthropological reality in all its diversity. In this article, the author analyzes the manifestations of the Christian worldview and sacred meanings in modern literature work: the means of their expression and symbolism. After all, the Bible in modern literature is used in a unique way. Definitely, there are still a number of important Christian literature works, but more and more often artists use biblical symbolism to embody their creative ideas without mentioning Christian saints or biblical quotations. The researcher examines a number of particularly popular fantasy novels of the early third millennium, in which the plotline is interwoven with elements of Christian sacredness and value categories, the meanings of their ideological guidelines. Cult literature works are also analyzed, where sacredness is hidden under other layers of meaning. In these works, the sacred is not immediately demonstrated, it may be seen in the value potential of the profane. The reverse side of Christian sacredness is also comprehended – on the basis of works of art about demons and Satan, the artistic and ideological purpose of these works is considered. All this is subordinated to the goal of understanding the influence of ideas about the sacred (and in general – the transcendent) in its modern cultural expression on the transformation of the aesthetic axiosphere. The research is at the interdisciplinary intersection of religious studies, philosophy of religion, culturology and aesthetics.


Author(s):  
Eben Scheffler

Eros as religion (or the religious celebration of sex) This article unashamedly argues for the positive value of sexuality and its profound religious dimensions. A stance is taken that goes beyond moralizing and ethicizing. The relationship in the Bible between eros and religion is explored by referring to the sexual image of God in Genesis 1:26-27, the religious dimension of the book of Song of Songs and Jesus’ stance in contrast with that of Paul. Through religion humans’ sexual experience should be enhanced in stead of being suppressed. Society should be sexualized.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document