Radical Christian Voices and Practice Essays in Honour of Christopher Rowland

by Bennett, Zoe; Gowler, David

• ISBN13: 9780199599776
• ISBN10: 0199599777
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-21
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

On the margins of the biblical canon and on the boundaries of what are traditionally called 'mainstream' Christian communities there have been throughout history writings and movements which have been at odds with the received wisdom and the consensus of establishment opinion. If one listens carefully, these dissident voices are reflected in the Bible itself-whether in the radical calls for social change from the Hebrew Bible prophets, with Jesus the apocalyptic prophet who alsodemanded social and economic justice for his oppressed people, or perhaps from the apocalyptic tradition's millenarian visions. The use of the Bible has been fertile ground throughout Christian history for prophetic calls for radical change within society as a whole and the church in particular. The essays contained in this volume examine aspects of this radical tradition, its doctrine, hermeneutics, pedagogy, and social action. They offer a sustained development of the theme of the Bible and its reception and appropriation in the context of radical practices, and an exposition of the imaginative possibilities ofradical engagement with the Bible in inclusive social contexts. Part 1 treats New Testament texts directly-the Lukan writings, Paul and the Book of Revelation; Part 2 explores some examples of reception history and of radical appropriation of the Bible in history and literature; Part 3 addresses contemporary issues in liberation theology and public theology. This book is a Festschrift in honour of Professor Christopher Rowland, the Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture in the University of Oxford.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. xiii
Note on Contributors	p. xiv
Introduction: 'Action is the life of all': Approaching the Work of Christopher Rowland	p. 1
The Bible and Radicalism
The Limits of Radicalism: A Dialogical Response to 'Liberation' in Luke 13:10-17	p. 17
Peter Olivi on the Community of the First Christians at Jerusalem	p. 35
From Capital to Community: Discipleship as Defection in Jesus' Parable about a 'manager of injustice' (Luke 16:1-13)	p. 51
The Language of Grace: Valentinian Reflection on New Testament Imagery	p. 69
Radical Religion and the Ethical Dilemmas of Apocalyptic Millenarianism	p. 87
Hidden Identities and the Arriving New World: The Experience of Reading the Book of Revelation	p. 103
Reception History: The Appropriation of the Biblical Text in the Radical Tradition
Still at the Margins?: Gospel Women and their Afterlives	p. 117
Winstanley, Hobbes, and the Sin of the World	p. 137
'The human form divine': Radicalism and Orthodoxy in William Blake	p. 151
A Modern Millenarian Prophet's Bible	p. 165
Radical Christian Voices Today
'Every time I feel the spirit': African American Christology for a Pluralistic World	p. 181
The Futures of Liberation Theology	p. 201
Does God Tell Us How to Build?	p. 211
'Seeking the welfare of the city': Public Theology as Radical Action	p. 225
Sex and the Sins of the Fathers: Fertility Religion versus Human Rights	p. 241
'I have Writ, I have Acted, I have Peace	p. 257
Christopher Rowland: A Biographical Note	p. 275
Bibliography of the Major Works of Christopher Rowland	p. 281
Biblical references index	p. 291
General Index	p. 297
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