Paul Ricoeur's Hermeneutics and the Discourse of Mark 13

Appropriating the Apocalyptic

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Religious
Cover of the book Paul Ricoeur's Hermeneutics and the Discourse of Mark 13 by Peter C. de Vries, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Peter C. de Vries ISBN: 9781498512299
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: December 14, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Peter C. de Vries
ISBN: 9781498512299
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: December 14, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

The apocalyptic discourse of Mark 13 predicts that cataclysmic events will occur within the generation of Jesus’ contemporaries, but readers today know these events have not taken place. Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics enables a reader to understand this text as a presentation of truth rather than as a failed prediction. Ricoeur argues that the meaning of a text is not defined by the author’s intention nor by the reader’s reception, but by the text itself. Therefore, although Mark 13 was originally understood literally, today’s reader is able to read it as metaphor, and to discern latent meaning that is present in the text. As Ricoeur explains, metaphor associates previously unrelated concepts and creates new, multiple meanings. In doing, metaphor is able to present truth, not as a verifiable presentation of the world, but as a novel manifestation of the world. Mark 13 functions as metaphor because of a double dissonance: first between the configured world of the text and the lived world of the reader, and second between claim that Jesus is able to predict when the events will take place (v. 30) and the assertion that he is not able to do so (v. 32). One option for the metaphorical meaning that Mark 13 offers for today’s reader is the perception of the presence of forces that challenge and subvert powers which appear to be dominant, and which deceive, destroy, and persecute.

This book will appeal to two sets of readers. First, scholars who study New Testament apocalyptic texts and the eschatological expectations of the early church will appreciate a new approach to a challenging subject matter. Second, Ricoeur scholars who focus upon the religious aspects of his work will enjoy the employment of his interpretive approach on a Biblical genre that has heretofore receive only cursory attention.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The apocalyptic discourse of Mark 13 predicts that cataclysmic events will occur within the generation of Jesus’ contemporaries, but readers today know these events have not taken place. Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics enables a reader to understand this text as a presentation of truth rather than as a failed prediction. Ricoeur argues that the meaning of a text is not defined by the author’s intention nor by the reader’s reception, but by the text itself. Therefore, although Mark 13 was originally understood literally, today’s reader is able to read it as metaphor, and to discern latent meaning that is present in the text. As Ricoeur explains, metaphor associates previously unrelated concepts and creates new, multiple meanings. In doing, metaphor is able to present truth, not as a verifiable presentation of the world, but as a novel manifestation of the world. Mark 13 functions as metaphor because of a double dissonance: first between the configured world of the text and the lived world of the reader, and second between claim that Jesus is able to predict when the events will take place (v. 30) and the assertion that he is not able to do so (v. 32). One option for the metaphorical meaning that Mark 13 offers for today’s reader is the perception of the presence of forces that challenge and subvert powers which appear to be dominant, and which deceive, destroy, and persecute.

This book will appeal to two sets of readers. First, scholars who study New Testament apocalyptic texts and the eschatological expectations of the early church will appreciate a new approach to a challenging subject matter. Second, Ricoeur scholars who focus upon the religious aspects of his work will enjoy the employment of his interpretive approach on a Biblical genre that has heretofore receive only cursory attention.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Sectarian Order in Bahrain by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Transformative Change by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Christianity and the Limits of Minority Acceptance in America by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book The Dragon's Hidden Wings by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Jews and Judaism in The New York Times by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Alexis de Tocqueville and the Art of Democratic Statesmanship by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Fugitive Slave Advertisements in The City Gazette by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book The Flexible Constitution by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Creaturely Cosmologies by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Obama and the Emergence of a Multipolar World Order by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book The Political Humanism of Hannah Arendt by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Leadership and Authority in China by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Cold Peace by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Sacred Inception by Peter C. de Vries
Cover of the book Aesthetic Transcendentalism in Emerson, Peirce, and Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Painting by Peter C. de Vries
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy