“For many potential Bible readers, this expectation that the Bible is univocal is paralyzing. You notice what seem to be contradictions or tensions between different voices in the text. You can't find an obvious way to reconcile them. You figure that it must be your problem. You don't know how to read it correctly, or you're missing something. You're not holy enough to read the Holy Bible. It might even be sacrilege for you to try. If the Bible is God's perfect infallible Word, then any misunderstanding or ambiguity must be the result of our own depravity. That is, our sinful nature as fallen creatures is what separates us from God, and therefore from God’s Word. So you either give up or let someone holier than thou tell you "what it really says." I think that's tragic. You're letting someone else impoverish it for you, when in fact you have just brushed up against the rich polyvocality of biblical literature.”
Quote by Timothy Beal
Work
The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book
“The Bible is not a book of answers but a library of questions.”
Source: The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book
Source: Ecclesiastes, or The Preacher
Source: The Bone Feud
“No divinity worth His salt could be contained in a book.”
Source: Flies to Wanton Boys
Source: The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever
Source: Healology