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Protestants and Biblical Criticism

Pete Enns — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:27:43 +0000

I am trying to finish up edits on a chapter I am writing for a book tentatively titled, The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously, due out next year with Oxford University Press.

The idea for the book came out of a symposium I participated in at the University of Pennsylvania last October. I gave a Protestant perspective. A Jewish perspective was given my Marc Brettler (Brandeis) and a Catholic perspective by Dan Harrington (Boston College). We will also have a chance to engage each other briefly in the volume

Here is the outline of my chapter (about 15000 words)

1. What is a Protestant, anyway [I define what I mean by Protestant]

2. The Bible and Biblical Criticism: Three Obstacles for Protestantism [sola Scriptura, the unity of the Christian Bible, the defensive legacy of the nineteenth century]

3. Biblical Criticism and Protestant Faith in Conversation [focus on two issues: NT use of OT and the problem of history in the OT]

4. One Protestant’s Perspective [a little of my own journey and some observations I have made along the way]

I will post more about this as we get closer to the publication date.

Audio: The Challenge of Reading the Bible Today

Pete Enns — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:22:59 +0000

Click on the link below to listen to an audio recording of the 14th annual Silvers Visiting Scholar Program held on October 25, 2010, entitled, “The Challenge of Reading the Bible Today: Can the Bible be read both Critically and Religiously? Jewish, Catholic and Protestant Perspectives,” with Marc Brettler (Brandeis University), Peter Enns (BioLogos Foundation), Daniel J. Harrington (Boston College), and moderated by Jeff Tigay (University of Pennsylvania).

http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/isc.upenn.edu.5147494416 (Audio is in iTunes University. Link will open iTunes. You must have iTunes installed on your computer for this to work.)

MP3 download version – Part 1 (right click and save to download)

MP3 download version – Part 2 (right click and save to download)

Can the Bible be Read both Critically and Religiously: A Protestant Perspective

Pete Enns — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:04:35 +0000

Last night (October 25, 2010), I participated in a panel discussion at the University of Pennsylvania on the challenge of reading the bible critically and religiously from the point of view of three faith traditions: Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Protestant.

Marc Brettler of Brandies University gave a Jewish perspective, Dan Harrington of Boston College gave the Roman Catholic perspective, and I was given the impossible task of giving the Protestant perspective.

The 3 papers (each 20 minutes long) were very well received and generated a lot of discussion afterwards. It is my understanding that the entire evening was recorded and will be (is?) available as a podcast. A text of my own comments can be downloaded here. (Forgive the oral feel of the paper, incomplete sentences, etc.)

My comments were aimed at diagnosing why some Protestants have such an easy relationship with modern biblical scholarship, and I suggested three reasons: the Protestant notion of sola Scriptura, the Protestant identity forged in the 19th century, and the very nature of the Christian Bible. I concluded with some very brief thoughts about moving forward.

I would like to thank Beth Wenger, Director the Jewish Studies Program at Penn, for arranging the evening and doing such a great job, Jeff Tigay, Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures, for extending the invitation, and Marc Brettler and Dan Harrington, for their deep thoughts on these matters and great dinner conversation afterwards.

Reminder: Faith and Higher Criticism at Penn, October 25

Pete Enns — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:16:55 +0000

A reminder for those who might be interested, I am speaking on a panel with Marc Brettler and Dan Harrington on faith and higher criticism from Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Protestant perspectives. Here is the original post, complete with flyer.

The Challenge of Reading the Bible Today

Pete Enns — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:28:22 +0000

I will be one of three presenters at a symposium titled “The Challenge of Reading the Bible Today: Can the Bible Be Read Both Critically and Religiously?” on October 25 at the University of Pennsylvania. I will be representing a Protestant view, along with two other scholars who will present a Catholic and Jewish perspective.

For details, click the flyer image below, or download the full-size PDF using the link below the image.

Click image for full size

PDF version of flyer: Bible_Panel_flyer

The Bible and Critical Scholarship

Pete Enns — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:29:30 +0000

Bible_Panel_flyer

Gilgamesh, Atrahasis, and the Flood, Parts 2 and 3

Pete Enns — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:15:06 +0000

The final two parts (two and three) of my three-part discussion of the biblical flood vis-a-vis Mesopotamian literature is now up on the BioLogos website. Hint, yes I think the Mesopotamian literature is very important for understanding the theology of the biblical story :-)

Gilgamesh, Atrahasis, and the Flood

Pete Enns — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:13:43 +0000

Here is this week’s BioLogos post where we look at the similarities between these Mesopotamian and the biblical flood story.

Genesis 2-9 and Atrahasis

Pete Enns — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:11:34 +0000

Here is this week’s post at BioLogos, this one on the well-known similarities between Israel’s second creation story and the Atrahasis Epic. As we saw with last week’s post on Genesis 1 and Enuma Elish, Genesis 2-9 and Atrahasis breathe the same air. They share ancient Mesopotamian ways of talking about origins. This is a clear indication that the second creation story does not speak to contemporary science. Hence, (1) it cannot and should not be harmonized with contemporary science, (2) it should not control what can be concluded from scientific investigation.

Genesis 2-9 is an ancient story asking addressing ancient issues. Understanding that ancient context will keep us from asking this story to deliver more than it is prepared to. And it will also help us mine the theological depths of what this story said to ancient Israelites nearly three millennia ago.

Genesis 1 and Enuma Elish

Pete Enns — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:50:07 +0000

Here is this week’s blog post at BioLogos on a perennial topic: the relationship between Genesis 1 and the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish. Both stories are distinct yet they clearly breath the same ancient air when it comes to describing origins.