Why A History of Biblical Interpretation?
A number of things have been so widely noted about the Bible such that they have become truisms. One of these is that the Bible ranks among books that have made it to the best seller list. another is that the Bible is one book that has undergone numerous translations from the original biblical languages into both ancient and contemporary ones. That the Bible has had and continues to exert influence on various societies and cultures, beyond the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities around the world is yet another observation. The implications of these observations regarding the Bible are not hard to deduce. One can illustratively specify some of these implications here:
- the Bible is among those socio-cultural artefacts that are preeminently significant in different parts of the world
- the Bible has been and continues to be an object of interpretation in the hands of the large and worldwide readership
- the meaning of biblical texts is not elf-evident, hence readers everywhere and in all times have had to develop methods of reading them
- the diverse socio-cultural and historical contexts in which the Bible is read has lead to equally diverse ways of reading and interpreting it
- the different ways of reading and interpreting the Bible that have been applied around the world and over time has made a distinct history of its own
- such a history is worth learning about
Swaziland and Bible reading
Like elsewhere in the world, the Bible is read in the Christian segment of the population. The existence of the Bible Society in this country and its successful translation of the Bible into siSwati is a prime indicator of that reality. Here too, the same diversity of methods of interpreting the Bible prevails. In the Swaziland, nobody ever put it as aptly as King Sobhuza II, the father of the modern Swazi state when he said:
"The Bible is a is a forest in which individuals select different types of sticks according to their respective needs" (cited in Ndlovu, H.L. 1993: 98).
In this country, where the coming of Christianity is synonymous with the coming of the Bible, surely, this statement by the king pointed to the different ways in which the Bible is read. That much is communicated through the venerable Swazi legend of King Somhlolo Dream/Vision. Therein lies the significance of knowledge about the history of interpreting the Bible.
From the world and society into the classroom
What we have said above demonstrates, to whatever degree, the social relevance of TRS 112 A History of Biblical Interpretation. As an academic course, its investigative, analytic and evaluative thrust positions it for both knowledge acquisition and transferrable critical skills. I am sure students will find the course as intriguing as I find it to be.
Invitation
If I have managed to arouse your interest, you are welcome to post comments on this and my subsequent posts on this blog.
