Syriac And Antiochian Exegesis And Biblical Theology For The 3RD Millennium

Based on the observation that scholarly work on the Bible is of little use to theologians, this book explores the potential insights provided by a distinct tradition of biblical interpretation that has its roots in both the patristic School of Antioch and in the Syriac Fathers, such as Ephrem and Jacob of Sarug.

The observation that scholarly work on the Bible is of little use to theologians is the starting premise for this volume. As a possible solution to this impasse, the contributors explore the potential insights provided by a distinct tradition of biblical interpretation that has its roots in both the patristic School of Antioch and in the Syriac Fathers, such as Ephrem and Jacob of Sarug, and which has survived and developed in the Churches of the Antiochene Patrimony, such as the Maronite and Syriac.Some of the essays have a patristic focus, examining Aphrahat (Craig Morrison), Ephrem (Sidney Griffith), the 4th-century Book of Steps (Robert Kitchen), John Chrysostom (Paul Tarazi), and other Syriac fathers (Edward Mathews).

Others engage with modern historical-critical method more directly (Angela Harkins, Stephen Ryan, Anthony Salim). Another still challenges the very assumption assumed by other contributors of an Antiochene 'School' (John O'Keefe). The volume concludes with a series of responses from Paul Russell, Robert Miller, and Ronald Beshara, respectively, that consider the various essays from different angles.

Here one of the key questions asked is whether biblical interpretation done 'with Antioch' is relevant to the church today.