Book Review: III. Biblical Literature. I. Introduction: Man and the Bible: A Review of the Place of the Bible in Human History

Abstract The influence of the Bible in human history is staggering. Biblical texts have inspired grand social advancements, intellectual inquiries, and aesthetic achievements. Yet, the Bible has also given rise to hatred, violence, and oppression—often with deadly consequences. How does the Bible exert such extraordinary influence? The short answer is rhetoric. In Influence: On Rhetoric and Biblical Interpretation, Michal Beth Dinkler demonstrates that, contrary to popular opinion, rhetoric is not inherently “empty” or disingenuous. Rhetoric refers to the art of persuasion. Dinkler argues that the Bible is by nature rhetorical, and that understanding the art of persuasion is therefore vital for navigating biblical literature and its interpretation. Influence invites readers to think critically about biblical rhetoric and the rhetoric of biblical interpretation, and offers a clear and compelling guide for how to do so.

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Scripture, Inspiration and the Word of God

Pacifica Australasian Theological Studies ◽

10.1177/1030570x9300600105 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 81-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Graeme Garrett

Keyword(s):

The Other ◽

Word Of God ◽

Human History ◽

Biblical Literature ◽

Adequate Theory ◽

The Bible ◽

The One ◽

Dialogical Relation ◽

As If

This article seeks to restate the idea of the inspiration of scripture in the context of contemporary debates about authority. It is argued that an adequate theory of scripture must be constructed as part of a comprehensive theology of the “word of God”, on the one hand, and a dynamic theology of the Spirit, on the other. In short, the doctrine of the inspiration of scripture cannot be stated in isolation, as if the Bible could be treated as an isolated object, whole and complete in itself. Only as the word of God empowered by the Spirit of God is comprehended in all its dimensions, and as the reception and interpretation of each dimension is apprehended in dialogical relation to the others, can we grasp what is the unique and irreplaceable part that biblical literature plays in the economy of God's self-declaration in human history.

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