[Re]Reading Again: A Mosaic Reading of Numbers 25

by Rees, Anthony; Mein, Andrew; Camp, Claudia V.

• ISBN13: 9780567671813
• ISBN10: 056767181X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-07-28
• Publisher: Bloomsbury T&T Clark

Summary

Guided by the metaphor of the art form known as a mosaic, this book advocates a pluralistic approach to biblical studies. Rees argues that the text itself can be described as a 'mosaic', with each new reading adding to the mosaic. Interpretation is therefore both observation and invention, or contribution.When [re]reading the text, one cannot but be aware of what has been seen before, even if it at first may seem unfamiliar. He thus rejects the idea of a definitive reading.

Examining Numbers 25, Rees argues that the various methods employed to interpret this text (narrative, feminist, postcolonial as well as a more 'traditional' historical-critical reading) enable us to see different things as we read from different places. A further analysis of the book's interpretative history, including the rewritten histories of Josephus and Philo, allows us to discover that creativity has forever been a part of the reading process. Moving on to explore the contributions of more recent commentators, Rees concludes that an embrace of diversity, of collegiality, may well point to a new future in Biblical Studies.

Author Biography

Anthony Rees is Research Fellow at the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology of Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Table of Contents

Introduction (Including Translation)
Section 1: Initial Readings
Chapter 1. Reading Other Readings, or, A History of Readings
Chapter 2. An Historically Oriented Reading
Section 2: [Re]Readings
Chapter 3. Narrative Explorations
Chapter 4. A Feminist Reading
Chapter 5. A Postcolonial Reading
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index