In the previous post in this series on the history of biblical interpretation, we saw how the Middle Ages were a period of stability in hermeneutics, with the Church more or less happy to interpret the Scriptures as they had traditionally been interpreted and within the broader context of the Church’s faith and worship. The … Continue reading Ad Fontes and Sola Scriptura: Reading the Bible in the Reformation
By the time the Western Roman Empire fell at the end of the fifth century, ushering in the ‘Middle Ages’, the die had already been cast for roughly the next thousand years of biblical interpretation. This is not, as some have suggested, because the medieval world was devoid of intellectual creativity — the Eastern Empire … Continue reading ‘The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints’: Tradition and Scripture from the Medieval World to Today
Insider and outsider, right and wrong, orthodox and heterodox, us and them — If there’s one thing humanity seems to excel at it’s turning differences into divisions, and building community around shared identity at the expense and exclusion of others. This is why, despite the near-universal and millennia-old religious calls for love and compassion and … Continue reading The Shepherd’s Sheep: A Reflection on John 10.22-30
By the third century, Christianity was no longer a fledgling faith, but had come into its own as a spiritual and intellectual force in the Roman world. Across the Empire, despite periodic and localized persecutions, Christians could be found in most walks life, found among slaves and citizens, and from the army to the Imperial … Continue reading Allegory and its Limits: Reading the Bible in Alexandria & Antioch
In the first post in this series on how the Bible has been interpreted throughout history, we saw that the writers of the New Testament used the language and stories of their Scriptures in order to make sense of what they had experienced in their encounter with Jesus. This meant that, in turn, they read … Continue reading The Rule of Faith: The Bible in the Second Century
Matthew Root 