Scripture between identity and creativity : a hermeneutical theory building upon four interpretations of Job = De schrift tussen identiteit en creativiteit : een hermeneutische theorie voortbouwend op vier interpretaties van het boek Job

279 Pages·2003·1.154 MB·English

by  Wisse, Maarten

ScripturebetweenIdentityandCreativity
Ars Disputandi
Supplement Series
1
Volume
editedby
 
 
 
ArsDisputandi[http://www.ArsDisputandi.org](2003)
Scripture between Identity
and Creativity
A Hermeneutical Theory Building upon
Four Interpretations of Job
by
 
UniversityofUtrecht,TheNetherlands
Utrecht: ArsDisputandi,2003
TheresearchforthisbookwasfundedbytheNetherlandsOrganisationforScientific
Research().
Copyright(cid:13)c 2003byArsDisputandi,version: 1stOctober2003
PublishedbyArsDisputandi: TheOnlineJournalforPhilosophyofReligion,
[http://www.ArsDisputandi.org],hostedbyUtrechtUniversityLibrary,TheNetherlands.
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: 705
Reproduction of this (or parts of this) publication is permitted for non-commercial use,
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Commercialreproductionof(partsof)itispermittedonlyafterpriorpermissionbythe
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To Deliana, Adinda and István
“Hesaidtothem,Thereforeeveryteacherofthelawwhohasbeen
instructedaboutthekingdomofheavenisliketheownerofahouse
whobringsoutofhisstoreroomnewtreasuresaswellasold.”
(Matthew13:52,)

Contents
 
StatingtheProblem
1 Introduction 3
2 MethodologicalConsiderations 11
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 Hermeneutics,Meaning,andInterpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.3 ReligionasanIdentityConstitutingPhenomenon . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.4 TheSpecialRoleofIdeologyCritiqueinHermeneutics . . . . . . . 22
2.5 IdeologyCritiqueasaHermeneuticalTool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.6 FollowingChapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
 
PerspectivesonJob
3 TheTestamentofJob 35
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.2 Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.3 Text,Composition,andOrigin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.4 MessageandRelationtotheBookofJob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.5 HermeneuticalReflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4 JohnCalvin 51
4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.2 AnImpression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.3 ARenaissancePerspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4.4 Calvin’sRelationtotheBookofJob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.5 HermeneuticalReflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5 OrlandodiLasso 77
5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.2 AnImpression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.3 Franco-FlemishPolyphony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
iii
iv | 
5.4 LifeandWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5.5 OriginoftheLectiones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5.6 JobaccordingtoLasso: MusicologicalAspects . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
5.7 JobaccordingtoLasso: TheologicalImplications . . . . . . . . . . . 101
5.8 HermeneuticalReflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6 GustavoGutiérrez 111
6.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
6.2 AnImpression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
6.3 TheManandHisCountry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
6.4 LiberationTheology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6.5 Gutiérrez’sEngagementwithJob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
6.6 HermeneuticalReflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
 
ATheoryofCriticalEngagement
7 FromCaseStudytoTheory 139
7.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
7.2 OverviewofPreviousChapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
7.3 ComplexityandDiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
7.4 TheRiddleofHermeneuticalRealism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
7.5 AnIdeologicalContradiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
8 FromDescriptivetoNormativeTheory 165
8.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
8.2 HermeneuticsofCommunicativeAction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
8.3 HermeneuticsofTradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
8.4 HermeneuticsasCriticalEngagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
9 HistoricalCriticalEngagement 197
9.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
9.2 WhatisHistoricalCriticism? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
9.3 HistoryMatters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
9.4 TheHistorianasaProsecutingAttorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
9.5 ACritiqueofMethodologicalAtheism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
9.6 TheCriterionofDissimilarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
9.7 HistoricalCriticismandEvidentialistEpistemology . . . . . . . . . 231
9.8 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Bibliography 237
Index 247
Samenvatting 257
Preface
For the author of a book, that book is not just some book on some topic. It is
the representation of his intellectual journey up to a certain point in time. On
such an intellectual journey, other persons, family, friends, and colleagues – in
thatorder–playacrucialrole. Theroleofthese‘associates’alongthewayisat
least as important as one’s individual intellectual capabilities. Therefore, it is a
verygoodtraditiontoexpressone’sgratitudetoallthosewhohavecontributed
invariouswaystoone’sintellectualdevelopmentpriortopresentingthecontent
of the work. The usual restrictions of space of course apply, so that those not
mentionedhereshouldnotthinkthattheyaredevoidofmygratitude.
When it comes to the particular form and presentation of the argument in
thisbook,myprimaryexpressionofgratitudeshouldgotomysupervisor,Marcel
Sarot. Hewasanexcellentsupervisorineveryrespect. Hewasalwayswillingto
discussproblemsand,offeradvices,oftenoverlunchandmixedinwithdiscus-
sions about classic cars, computers, and family life. I do not exaggerate when I
say that he taught me the art of writing. Unlike so many university professors,
he was not a teacher in the sense of one who sets out to create dependents, pu-
pils who explore uncritically the implications of his own brilliant ideas. On the
contrary, he was always concerned with improving the internal credibility and,
inmycase,comprehensibility,oftheargument. Iwouldliketothankhimforhis
warm friendship and help, and for his patience in correcting the ever returning
errorsthatinevitablyaccompanyalabourofthiskind. Iwouldliketothankmy
promotorDirk-MartinGrubeforbeingwillingtoparticipateinthefinalstageof
theproject. MygratitudegoesalsotoDavidBrownfromDurhamUniversityfor
his willingness to act as my other promotor. Although he could only comment
onthemanuscriptinitsnearfinishedform,Ihavebenefitedfromthereadingof
hispublicationsinmanyways.
IwouldliketothankmyfellowPhD-studentsduringthetimeofmyresearch
for this book – Gerrit Brand, Wilko van Holten, and especially my roommate
ArjanMarkus–fortheirfriendship,themanyinterestingconversationswehad
during coffee and lunch breaks, and their patience in listening to – or should I
say‘attending’? –myexpositionsoncomputertechnologyandfreesoftware. My
gratitudegoesalsotoGerritandhiswifeLuciaforimprovingmyEnglish. Iwould
liketothanktheseniorandjuniormembersofthephilosophyofreligionsection
offortheirhelpfulcommentsonvariouspapers. Mentionshouldalsobe
v
vi | 
made of the members of the systematic theology section of the PhD discussion
forum of the ‘Gereformeerde Bond in de Nederlands Hervormde Kerk’, who
commentedonanearlierversionofchaptertwo.
In this book, expertise is borrowed from various academic disciplines—
philosophy, theology and the arts. This could not have been done without the
help of various scholars with an in-depth expertise in these fields. Piet van der
Horst, one of the few real experts on the Testament of Job, offered valuable com-
mentsonthechapterdealingwiththattext. WillemJ.vanAsselt,agoodfriend
and a renowned expert in the field of the history of the Reformation, put much
of his scholarship into the chapter on John Calvin. Ignace Bossuyt and Eric Jas
helpedmeinvariousstagesoftheresearchunderlyingthechapteronOrlandodi
Lasso.
In writing this book, I benefited much from various software tools written
byothers,allofthemprovidedfreeofcharge. Sometoolsanddevelopersshould
be mentioned, though. First of all, Jens Berger, the developer of the Jurabib
BibTEX style set, who was willing to extend his package to include the Oxford
style conventions used in Anglo-Saxon humanities publications. Although we
nevermetandhehimselfneverusesthisstyle,hewaswillingtoinvestmuchof
histimeinthisproject,forwhichIwouldlikethankhimwarmly. Furthermore,I
wouldliketothankHan-WenNienhuysandJanNieuwenhuizenfordeveloping
LilyPond, the Music Typesetting system with whose aid the scores of Lasso’s
musicwereprepared. Iwouldliketothankthemembersofthemailinglist
formanyexcellentandrapidresponsestomyquestions. Specialmentionshould
bemadeofSiepKroonenbergandPietvanOostrumespeciallyfortheirhelpwith
thedevelopmentoftheLATEXclassfile.
Finally, I would like to thank those closest to me, my family. As associates
on the journey, they have shared the hardships experienced along the way. My
gratitudegoestomyparents,brothersandsisters(inlaw)fortheirsupport. Most
ofall,Ithankyou,Deliana,foryourendurance,unconditionalloveandsupport.
Even when you don’t see why philosophy matters, you still see that it matters
forme,andyouarewillingtopaythepriceoflivingwithanacademiccareerfor
thatsake. AdindaandIstván,Ithankyoubothforthejoyyougiveus,andyour
patiencewhen“papawriteshisbook”. Idedicatethisbooktothethreeofyou.
September2003,MaartenWisse