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Mr. Matthew Bell
Abstract
"The Scriptures" of the Old and New Testaments came to be recognized by the early Christian Church as a major form of apostolically mediated communion with the Word of God. This emerging canon cohered as the identity story of the Church, and so was attended to from an insider's hermeneutical stance. "Inspiration", understood within this "ruled" framework, was the process whereby mortals are brought to the Word of God and united through Him to the Father. Thus, all scripture possessed an analogical reference to this union, and could be interpreted in trans-historical ways. At the rise of the modern period, however, a variety of factors came into play that created a new ethos, one wherein "ruled" reading was misunderstood and treated with suspicion in some circles, notably that of post-Enlightenment biblical studies. With "post-modernity", however, and emphasis on the sociology of knowledge, early Christian convictions regarding the nature of the Scriptures qua their "ruled" reception holds forth promise for present-day theological interpretation.
Publications
"Origen" in Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, ed. Glen Scorgie et al. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011 (Forthcoming).
"Hilary of Poitiers" in Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, ed. Glen Scorgie et al. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011 (Forthcoming).
Review of Father, Son and Spirit: The Trinity and John's Gospel by Andreas J. Köstenberger and Scott R. Swain, in Theological Book Review vol. 20 no. 2 (2008).