Subscribe
Jason Barker is Currently...
Fr. Stephen Freeman on Reading Scripture
Posted on Friday, February 02, 2007 at 11:25 AM by Jason Barker
In a recent post about the Orthodox approach to Scripture, Fr. Stephen Freeman makes several statements that underscore the approach I take in creating Orthodox Christian Bible studies. A representative statement:
The reading of Scripture is as important for the Church today as it has ever been. But it is vitally important that Scripture be read within the Tradition of the Church and not within the grips of those who would wrest it to some other use. The bottom line of both strains of historical methodology, is a claim that the Scriptures can be read by anyone as they would any historical document. This is not the claim of the Fathers. The Scriptures, of course, can be read in such a manner and will yield any amount of information - but they will not yield Christ in such a manner.
Examining the historical context of the biblical writings is a valuable activity, and I attempt to provide a reasonable amount of such information in my studies. Such information, however, must not be the primary - and certainly not the exclusive - focus of biblical studies: the focus must always be God, and our relationship with Him and His Church.
I recommend reading the post in its entirety.
Posted in Miscellaneous