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Looking at EXODUS

Looking at EXODUS. A Narrative Theology. What is Narrative Theology?.

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Looking at EXODUS

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  1. Looking at EXODUS A Narrative Theology

  2. What is Narrative Theology? • Narrative theology was a 20th-century theological development which supported the idea that the Church's use of the Bible should focus on a narrative presentation of the faith, rather than on the exclusive development of a systematic theology. Also referred to as postliberal theology, narrative theology was influenced theologically by Karl Barth, Thomas Aquinas .The philosophical influence, however, was Ludwig Wittgenstein's philosophy of language, the moral philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre, and the sociological insights of Peter Berger on the nature of communities. Pentateuchal Studies

  3. Exodus as Drama • “The story of Exodus is high drama at its Hollywood best; involving corrupt kings, heroes who must stand alone, cliff-hanger chapter endings and miraculous denouements…” Pentateuchal Studies

  4. What is the story? • The title of the book suggests that its theme is the escape from Egypt, but there is more to Exodus than just redemption. Much of the book is taken up with the Tabernacle which is "no meaningless cultic digression". Splitting it into two we could say that it is about "being saved by God, in order to worship God" but this would not take into account other important themes. Pentateuchal Studies

  5. Some theories of central purpose • Fretheim avers that Exodus is "shaped in a decisive way by a creation theology.” This illuminates a vital connection with the early chapters of Genesis. • Durham has also organised his commentary around a central principle, that of Yahweh's Presence. Presence is a key theme in the text at vital moments. Occasionally however, the material is stretched to fit these theories. • Knight suggests "revelation" as the theme and Alexander, "knowing God through personal experience."  • These statements take into account the multivalence of the book and are able to absorb important sub-themes. Pentateuchal Studies

  6. Clines: Covenant • The vital clue however comes from Clines: Exodus is concerned with the relational aspect of the Patriarchal promises. • Exodus does not stand alone but within the canonical context of the Pentateuch. It develops the relationship through which God will achieve his creation (or covenantal purposes. “Sometimes the relationship is expressed as a blessing, sometimes as a "being with" or guidance, sometimes as a continuance of God's relationship with former Patriarchs.” • Exodus 19:3-8 (a key text however one sees the book as a whole) brings out this theme very clearly. Pentateuchal Studies

  7. Summary of narratological purpose • The narrative of Exodus (and of the whole book, including its other genres) is primarily concerned with the development of God's relationship with his people, through whom he plans to achieve his creation purposes. Pentateuchal Studies

  8. Major Chapters • The Birth and Call of Moses • Moses and God’s Call • Moses’ Confrontations with Pharaoh • The Ten Plagues • The Passover and Exodus from Egypt • Wilderness Time: The Law and the Golden Calf • The Glorious Descent of Yahweh to the Tabernacle Pentateuchal Studies

  9. Asking Questions • Where is God in Exodus 1? • Why are the names of Shiphrah and Puah preserved for us (relatively few names were recorded in Scripture after all)? • How does Moses’ watery rescue story in Exodus 2 tie in with larger biblical themes involving water? • God gives Moses a “sign” in Exodus 3, but what good is a sign that will be seen only AFTER the exodus is complete? (The “sign” God gave Moses was that after he had taken the people out of Egypt, they would worship on that mountain where the burning bush was. But by then Moses would not NEED a sign!) Pentateuchal Studies

  10. More questions • Don’t skip Exodus 4: what is going on in this bizarre chapter!? • Why is Pharaoh’s initial line in Exodus 5 so key to not just Exodus but the whole Bible? • Why is a family tree plunked into the middle of Exodus 6? • The Ten Plagues are more than just a side show. How are these events related to Genesis? To all of Scripture? • Why does becoming the people of God have to include a wilderness time? • What accounts for Moses’ going from a stuttering, weak-kneed figure in so much of Exodus to the champion of his people who challenges Yahweh so directly in Exodus 32-33? Pentateuchal Studies

  11. God in relationship… • Selected references to the concept of a God-Israel relationship in Exodus: • Blessing 1:7; 3:21; 20:24; 23:25; 32:29 • Presence/Guidance 3:12; 13:17-22; 24:10; 33:14; 40:34 • Knowing/Fearing God 6:7; 10:2; 14:31; 16:12; 29:46 • Covenant/Continuance of Patriarchal relationship 2:24; 4:5; 24:8; 34:27 • Worshipping 4:31; 7:16; 12:27; 23:25; 33:10 • Israel are God's people 3:7; 7:4; 18:1; 22:25; 33:13 Pentateuchal Studies

  12. Books on Narrative Theology • The Art of Biblical Narrative by Robert Alter (1981, ISBN 0-465-00427-X) • The Gospel in Parable: Metaphor, Narrative, and Theology in the Synoptic Gospels by John R. Donahue (1990, ISBN 0-8006-2480-7) • The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative : A Study in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Hermeneutics by Hans Frei (1980, ISBN 0-300-02602-1) • Theology and Narrative: A Critical Introduction by Michael Goldberg (1982, ISBN 1-56338-010-2) • A Community of Character by Stanley Hauerwas (1981, ISBN 0-268-00735-7) • Paul Among the Postliberals by Douglas Harink (2003, ISBN 1-58743-041-X) • Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching edited by Joel Green & Michael Pasquarello (2003, ISBN 0-8010-2721-7) • Why Narrative? Readings in Narrative Theology, edited by Stanley Hauerwas & L. Gregory Jones (1989, ISBN 1-57910-065-1) • Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony by Stanley Hauerwas & William Willimon (1989, ISBN 0-687-36159-1) • Unleashing the Scripture: Freeing the Bible from Captivity to America by Stanley Hauerwas (1993, ISBN 0-687-31678-2) • Women and the Authority of Scripture: A Narrative Approach by Sarah Heaner Lancaster (2002, ISBN 1-56338-356-X) • The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age by George Lindbeck (1984, ISBN ISBN 0-664-24618-4) • The Story of God: Wesleyan Theology and Biblical Narrative by Michael Lodahl (1994, ISBN 0-8341-1479-8) • The Use and Abuse of the Bible: A Study of the Bible in an Age of Rapid Cultural Change by Dennis Nineham, (1976, ISBN 0-333-10489-7) • The Promise of Narrative Theology: Recovering the Gospel in the Church by George W. Stroup (1997, ISBN 1-57910-053-8) • The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder (1972, ISBN 0-8028-0734-8) • Transforming Postliberal Theology by C.C. Pecknold (2005, ISBN 0-567-03034-2) Pentateuchal Studies

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